vje5.^v^ 


%, 


%., 


'k 


PRINCETON,    N.    J. 


^//^/^sr^ 


a^UL^e.^    C/it 


^^j^^t.,^   CA-tx^-t^-cj!^ 


/      BV    4834    .T5    1875 

Tholuck,  August,  1799-1877. 
Hours  of  Christian  devotion 


Shelf.... 


HOURS 


CHRISTIAN      DEVOTION 


HOURS 


OF 


CHRISTIAN    DEVOTION 


TRANSLATED    FROM    THE    GERMAN    OF 

a/tholuck,  d.d. 

PROFESSOR   OF   THEOLOGY    IN    THE    UNIVERSITY   OF    HALLE  ; 
COUNCILLOR   OF   THE   SUPREME   CONSISTORY, 


BY 

ROBERT    MENZIES,    D.D. 


SFXOND     EDITION. 


NEW    YORK : 
SCRIBNER,     ARMSTRONG     &     CO 

1875.      • 


\ 


PREFACE   TO    THE    FIRST    EDITION. 


INASMUCH  as  in  the  case  of  a  devotional  work,  more  than  of 
any  other,  what  is  personal  to  the  Author  claims  considera- 
tion, I  take  leave  to  communicate  the  following  particulars  : — 

For  several  years  I  had,  in  common  with  many  others,  felt  the 
want  of  a  sterling  book  of  devotion  —  the  product  of  our  own 
times,  and  judiciously  adapted  to  the  prevailing  wants;  and  I 
was  surprised  that,  among  the  increasing  number  of  works  on  the 
practice  of  Christianity,  there  appeared  none  calculated  to  be  for 
the  age  in  which  we  live  what  those  of  Thomas  a  Kempis  and 
of  John  Arndt  were  for  theirs.  It  is  true  that  the  Church  still 
possesses  the  treasure  bequeathed  to  her  by  those  and  other  wit- 
nesses for  the  truth,  who  were  masters  of  the  art  of  speaking  to 
the  heart ;  and  that  such  sterling  works  of  the  olden  time  will 
never  cease  to  sustain  and  foster  vital  Christianity,  as  long  as  the 
Bible  continues  to  lay  the  foundation  of  it.  At  the  same  time, 
however,  they  do  not  by  any  means  preclude  the  necessity  of  a 
work  originating  in  the  present  day.  For  does  not  the  difference 
between  books  of  devotion  and  the  Holy  Scriptures  consist  in 
this,  that  the  latter  furnish  the  prolific  seed  of  all  the  many  and 
various  developments  of  spiritual  life,  and  consequently  provide  a 
fund  of  spiritual  nourishment  suited  for  all  ages  and  all  indivi- 
duals alike ;  whereas  a  book  of  devotion  delineates  one  particular 
form  of  it,  modified  by  its  own  particular  age,  and  by  the  peculi- 
arities of  the  individual  author.^  Is  there  not, a  connection  be- 
tween the  mode  in  which  the  religious  life  is  at  any  time  expressed 
and  the  then  prevailing  degree  of  culture ;  and  in  consequence  of 
this,  do  not  different  periods  claim  for  a  book  of  devotion  a  cor- 
responding difference  in  style  .^  And  even,  although  that  point  be 
overlooked,  considering  that  there  are  at  least  a  few  models  of 
excellence  in  form  which  continue  classical  for  all  ages,  has  not 


vi  Preface  to  the  First  Edition. 

every  age  dangers  and  errors,  discoveries  and  views,  conflicts  and 
afflictions,  peculiarly  its  ov^n  ?  There  can  be  no  doubt,  therefore, 
that  beside  the  devotional  books  of  bygone  times  a  place  on  the 
shelf  is  due  to  more  modern  productions ;  and  v^ould  not  an  A 
Kempis,  a  Tauler,  and  an  Arndt,  had  they  lived  in  the  nineteenth 
century,  have  spoken  with  far  greater  power  than  they  do  to  the 
hearts  of  the  present  generation  ? 

The  thought  of  labouring  in  this  field  of  literature,  however, 
was  foreign  to  my  mind  until  awakened  by  outward  incidents. 
First  of  all,  in  the  year  1826,  when  bowed  down  both  in  mind  and 
body  by  long  and  severe  indisposition,  I  began  to  write  medita- 
tions on  passages  of  Scripture  chiefly  with  a  view  to  my  own 
consolation.  The  task  was  never  finished.  During  my  second 
visit  to  England,  I  received  a  fresh  impulse  by  becoming  ac- 
quainted with  a  work  of  which  the  plan  appeared  to  me  emi- 
nently suited  for  family  worship.  It  contained  select  portions 
of  sacred  Scripture,  chiefly  of  a  practical  tendency,  and  one  for 
every  day  of  the  year.  Short  solutions  of  the  difficulties  were 
given  for  the  purpose  of  promoting  insight  into  the  meaning  of 
the  Word.  There  was  then  appended  a  meditation  upon  the 
text,  and  finally  a  prayer  embodying,  as  vows  to  God,  the  resolu- 
tions inspired  by  the  subject.  I  still  think  that  a  devotional  work 
executed  according  to  such  a  plan  is  a  real  want  of  the  Church 
of  our  native  land  still  requiring  to  be  supplied  ;  and  I  was  stirred 
up  repeatedly  to  think  of  composing  a  work  of  the  sort.  It  was, 
however,  the  state  of  my  eyesight,  which  for  a  length  of  time 
threatened  to  fail  me,  that  proved  the  occasion  of  my  writing  the 
book  which  I  now  present  to  the  Christian  world.  During  the 
winter  mornings  and  evenings  I  was  prevented  from  pursuing 
my  usual  employments  by  candle-light,  and  it  was  then  that,  in 
quiet  rumination,  the  plan  of  these  '  Hours  of  Christian  Devotion  * 
was  matured.  At  the  time,  the  danger  of  being  compelled  to  re- 
sign for  several  years,  if  not  for  ever,  my  vocation  as  professor, 
was  constantly  present  to  my  mind  ;  and  if  a  season  of  affliction 
is  not  in  general  the  most  unfavourable  for  the  production  of  a 
religious  work,  I  may  be  permitted  to  indulge  good  hopes  of  the 
success  of  the  present  one,  as  not  only  the  original  conception  but 
also  the  subsequent  execution  of  it  occupied  what  were  very  grave 
hours  of  my  life. 

On  the  other  hand,  I  am  well  aware  how  much  there  is  to 
weaken  this  expectation.    The  curse  of  the  present  age,  which 


Preface  to  the  First  Edition.  vii 

has  proved  the  main  hindrance  to  the  production  of  a  sterling 
work  of  Christian  devotion,  will  not  spare  mme.  The  force  of 
intuition,  and  with  it  of  vital  faith,  is  broken  by  the  predominance 
of  the  reflective  power,  which  lifts  its  voice  not  merely  in  the 
professor's  chair,  where  it  has  a  right  to  be  heard,  but  even  in 
the  closet  of  prayer.  It  is  the  fatal  worm  which  is  perpetually 
gnawing  at  the  faith  of  our  times,  and  consuming  its  vigour. 
When  I  speak  of  reflection,  I  do  not  mean,  as  many  may  mis- 
apprehend, the  doubts  which  may  arise  in  individual  minds. 
What  I  mean  is,  the  habit  of  reflecting  upon  the  reasonableness 
of  faith  which  necessarily  presupposes  the  positive  existence  of 
doubt.  If,  however,  the  true  theologian  be  he  who,  after  climb- 
ing the  ladder  of  science  to  a  height  at  which  he  has  the  un- 
clouded heaven  in  view,  delights  himself  with  gazing  into  it,  and 
no  longer  thinks  of  the  steps  of  the  ladder  save  when  employed 
in  the  friendly  office  of  helping  those  at  the  foot  to  mount — if  he, 
I  say,  be  the  true  theologian,  then  certainly  there  is  no  better 
school  for  perfecting  his  education  than  that  of  affliction,  for  there 
he  becomes  practically  confirmed  in  the  article  of  faith,  and  has 
no  leisure  to  look  anywhere  but  above  himself.  Whether  I  have 
succeeded  in  supplying  to  any  extent  an  existing  want,  time  must 
decide.  To  myself  it  is  a  satisfaction  to  know  that  the  work  is  not 
the  product  of  reflection,  but  owes  its  origin  to  external  induce- 
ments which  were  wholly  unsolicited. 

For  some  time  I  could  not  make  up  my  mind  with  regard  to 
the  plan.  At  first  I  hesitated  whether  to  make  it  a  work  for 
family  use  or  a  devotional  book  of  a  more  general  character ; 
next,  whether  to  adopt  exclusively  the  form  of  meditation,  and  in 
that  case,  whether  the  meditation  should  adhere  closely  to  the 
text,  or  take  a  wider  range  ;  and  finally,  what  arrangement  would 
best  answer  the  purpose  in  view.  Hardly  any  of  our  books  of 
devotion  are  methodically  arranged.  The  casual  contemplations 
which  they  deliver  present  themselves  like  flowers  upon  the 
meadow,  to  be  plucked  as  any  one  likes.  Something  may  perhaps 
be  said  in  favour  of  this  plan  ;  at  any  rate,  such  a  lack  of  method 
is  preferable  to  an  excess  of  it,  when  obtained  at  the  expense  of 
freedom  and  liveliness.  It  may,  however,  be  objected  to  such  an 
unmethodical  collection,  that  it  is  wholly  inartistic;  and,  moreover, 
that  there  are  arrangements  by  which  certain  advantages,  intel- 
lectual as  well  as  religious  and  moral,  may  be  attained.  I  there- 
fore came  to  the  resolution  to  give  in  these  meditations  a  view  of 


viii  Preface  to  the  First  Edition. 

the  Development  of  the  Christian  life  on  both  its  inward  and  out- 
ward sides.  This  further  entailed  that  the  book  should  be  of  a 
more  general  character,  and  also  that  it  should  take  the  form  of 
meditations  ;  because  for  family  worship,  at  which  the  whole 
household,  including  the  servants,  are  present,  this  form  is,  in  my 
opinion,  less  suitable  than  that  which  I  have  above  described. 
By  the  plan  which  I  have  adopted  I  likewise  hope  to  meet  the 
wants  of  those  who,  at  least,  are  not  destitute  of  Christian  feelings, 
but  in  whom  these  are  not  accompanied  by  a  developed  Christian 
intelligence.  Bishop  Mynster's  book  endeavours  to  combine  edifi- 
cation with  an  exhaustive  exposition  of  the  doctrines  as  they  are 
classed  in  systems  of  theology.  My  endeavour  has  been  to  do  the 
same  with  regard  to  the  doctrine  of  the  Christian  way  of  salvation. 
A  rigid  systematising  is  in  general  repugnant  to  my  nature,  and 
as  my  fondness  for  carving  out  of  the  raw  material  equals  my 
aversion  to  \h^  process  of  gluing,  I  have  not  sacrificed  freedom  of 
expatiation  to  regularity  of  plan.  Within  the  limits  of  the  course 
taken  by  the  work,  as  a  whole,  freedom  and  variety  obtain.  Most 
books  of  devotion  are  chargeable  with  monotony.  That  is  a  fault 
which  I  have  endeavoured  to  avoid — or  rather,  to  speak  more 
correctly,  it  is  a  fault  into  which  the  peculiarity  of  my  mind  has 
prevented  me  from  falling.  In  writing  these  meditations  I  have 
felt  myself  in  my  proper  element  much  more  than  in  the  composi- 
tion of  sermons,  the  traditional  form  of  which  imposes  fetters 
under  which  my  mind  often  sighs  for  freedom.  I  have  also  ven- 
tured to  lay  aside  the  language  of  the  pulpit,  and,  in  so  far  as  the 
subject  admitted,  have  adopted  the  style  sometimes  of  Claudius, 
sometimes  of  Thomas  k  Kempis,  sometimes  of  Tersteegen,  and 
at  others,  and  indeed  most  frequently,  of  Luther.  To  that  dear 
father  of  our  Church  I  have  owed  more  than  I  can  tell  in  the 
composition  of  this  work.  In  converse  with  such  a  man  of  steel — 
so  pithy  a  nature — in  whom  certain  phases  of  the  Christian  life 
were  exhibited  in  the  most  finished  style  (although  differently 
gifted  individuals  have  displayed  it  more  perfectly  in  others),  I 
always  felt  myself  edified,  elevated,  and  strengthened.  His  image, 
I  confess,  had  for  several  years  presented  itself  to  me  under  a 
cloud,  for  I  fixed  my  eye  too  exclusively  upon  the  outbreaks  of  his 
vigorous  nature,  ere  yet  it  had  been  subdued  by  the  Spirit  of  the 
Lord  ;  and  I  felt  myself  inspired  with  purer  sentiments  of  reverence 
for  Calvin,  whose  mind  was  so  well  disciplined  both  in  thinking 
and  acting.     But  on  resuming  my  study  of  Luther,  when   the 


Preface  to  the  First  Edition,  •  ix 

unction  of  faith  and  power  consecrating  his  radically  German 
character,  the  entire  truthfulness  of  his  being,  and  his  wondrous 
childlike  candour  and  naivete,  once  more  unfolded  themselves 
in  their  glory  to  my  eye,  I  was  constrained  to  turn  to  him  again 
with  the  most  entire  and  unmingled  affection,  and  to  exclaim.  His 
foibles  are  so  great  only  owing  to  the  greatness  of  his  virtues  ! 

Poetry  speaks  to  the  heart  in  quite  another  dialect  than  prose. 
It  was  therefore  my  intention  to  introduce  an  abundance  of  choice 
extracts  from  our  old  hymns  ;  but  it  cost  great  labour  to  find  them, 
and  frequently  I  could  not  find  at  all  such  as  I  wished  and  re- 
quired ;  I  therefore  spoke  in  the  language  of  poetry  myself.  Very 
few  of  the  verses  dispersed  throughout  the  work  are  by  other 
authors.  I  am  aware  how  much  it  thereby  loses  in  pith  and  in 
ecclesiastical  character ;  but  there  has  also  been  a  gain  in  ori- 
ginality, which  is  no  inconsiderable  advantage  for  a  devotional 
work.  As  for  tone  and  language,  I  could  have  wished  for  the 
power  of  speaking  with  the  tongue  of  a  Luther  or  a  Claudius  to 
enable  me  to  speak  to  all;  but  at  least  I  have  endeavoured  to 
learn  from  these  masters. 

The  title  chosen  for  the  work  will  be  disapproved  by  many. 
Some  will  wish  not  to  be  reminded  in  any  way  of  the  well-known 
"Stunden  der  Andacht;"  others  will  at  once  perceive  in  it  a  sen- 
tence of  condemnation  of  that  widely-circulating  work.  The 
reason  why  this  title  was  selected  was  simply  in  order  that  they 
who  are  pleased  with  the  cooking  of  the  food  in  the  "  Stunden  der 
Andacht,"  but  doubt  of  its  wholesome  and  nutritive  qualities, 
might  be  at  once  informed  that  there  is  something  here  which  is 
intended  to  supply  their  wants.  I  am  not  of  the  number  who,  the 
moment  they  see  that  book  in  any  person's  hands,  would  snatch 
it  away,  as  I  am  aware  that  in  many  cases  it  has  fostered  the  seeds 
of  good  ;  but  I  certainly  consider  much  of  what  it  contains  to  be 
pernicious,  and,  most  pernicious  of  all,  the  abundant  nourishment 
it  supplies  to  the  conceit  of  self-righteousness.  Besides,  in  works 
of  this  sort  much  depends  not  only  upon  what  ihty  give,  but  like- 
wise and  not  less  upon  what  they  withhold.  Now,  what  the 
"Aarau  Stunden  der  Andacht"  withholds  is  nothing  less  than 
what  the  Evangelical  Church  declares  to  be  the  only  true  way  of 
salvation.  The  object  proposed  by  the  following  meditations  is 
to  show  what  that  way  is.  They  claim  to  be  an  impartial  and 
healthy  portraiture  of  the  Gospel  life  of  faith,  and  in  that  respect 
are  calculated  to  reconcile  all  such  honest  admirers  of  the  former 


X  Preface  to  the  Seventh  Edition. 

work  as  are  courageous  enough  not  to  shrink  from  the  pain  of  self- 
knowledge.  There  is  an  inexcusable  want  of  conscience  in  the 
way  in  which  some  men  are  now  calling  others  Mystics  and  Pie- 
tists, while  they  wish  to  have  it  believed  that  these  sectarian  nick- 
names do  not  strike  with  equal  force  the  Evangelical  Church  (I 
except  Dr  Bretschneider,  who  has  the  merit  of  speaking  out,  and 
who  represents  Luther  and  Melanchthon  as  the  ringleaders  of  the 
Pietists).  I  therefore  call  upon  all  who  may  publicly  express  an 
opinion  of  this  work,  and  feel  disposed  to  characterise  it  2,spietis- 
tical,  to  show  so  much  at  least  of  a  sense  of  justice  as  expressly  to 
state  whether  and  to  what  extent  they  find  the  delineation  it  con- 
tains of  the  Gospel  life  of  faith  to  be  morbid ;  or  whether,  with 
Bretschneider,  they  denominate  this  form  of  piety  pietistical,  just 
because  it  does  delineate  what  the  life  of  faith  is,  according  to  the 
view  of  the  Evangelical  Church.  Considering  the  blind  party  zeal 
of  the  opponents,  and  the  reiterated  acts  of  crying  injustice  which 
they  commit,  it  were  to  be  wished  that  none  of  them  would  enter 
the  polemical  field  without  seriously  taking  to  heart  the  words  of 
our  Lord  in  Matthew,  vii.  12. 

Such  are  the  remarks  with  which  I  desire  to  preface  these 
'  Hours  of  Christian  Devotion.'  May  so  much  of  divine  truth  as 
they  contain  find  its  way  into  the  heart,  and  to  God  be  the  glory 
and  the  praise. 


A.  THOLUCK. 


Halle,  29//?  September  1839. 


PREFACE   TO   THE   SEVENTH   EDITION. 

However  little  I  could  have  expected  it,  I  have  had  the  gratifica- 
tion of  emitting  a  sixth  edition  of  this  work,  originally  the  fruit  of 
hours  of  sorrow.  It  has  been  my  endeavour  to  approximate  the 
language  to  that  simplicity,  without  which  devotion  can  never 
reach  its  proper  depth,  more  than  was  the  case  in  the  first  edition. 
Since  then  many  similar  voices  have  been  raised ;  among  them 
may  this  of  mine  still  for  a  while  retain  its  youth. 

A.  THOLUCK. 
Halle,  25^/2  October  1859. 


AUTHOR'S    PREFACE   TO    THE 
ENGLISH  TRANSLATION. 


IT  is  a  gratification  to  me  to  see  those  Hours  of  Devotion 
translated  into  the  English  tongue,  and  presented  to  the 
nation  by  whom  so  many  of  my  other  works  have  already  met 
with  so  kind  a  reception.  The  hindrance  to  an  earlier  trans- 
lation of  the  work,  as  I  anticipated  from  the  first,  and  have 
now  learned  as  a  fact,  has  been  its  peculiarly  German  char- 
acter. The  texts  of  Scripture  are  cited  and  explained  as  they 
stand  in  Luther's  version  of  the  Bible ;  numerous  passages 
are  quoted  from  the  writings  of  that  reformer,  and  of  other 
godly  German  authors  ;  and  a  text  is  occasionally  taken  from 
the  Apocrypha.  Above  all,  however,  I  must  here  refer  to  the 
poetry  prefixed  as  mottoes  to  the  several  meditations,  and 
appended  to  them  at  the  end.  To  meet  this  last  obstacle, 
the  translators  of  different  countries  have  adopted  different 
methods.  The  Swede  has  inserted  hymns  of  his  own  Church ; 
the  Dane  poetry  of  his  own  making ;  and  the  French  trans- 
lator has  omitted  the  poetry  altogether,  and  generally  abridged 
even  the  prose  text.  The  esteemed  friend  who  has  executed 
this  English  translation  has  not  allowed  himself  to  be  deterred 
by  any  of  these  difficulties,  and,  as  it  appears,  has  even  van- 


xii  Preface  to  English  Translation. 

quished  with  some  success  the  last  of  them — that,  namely, 
presented  by  the  poetry. 

I  deem  it  of  little  importance  that  one  of  the  parts  of  the 
book  is  not  included  in  this  translation ;  ^  I  hope  that,  in 
spite  of  that  omission,  it  contains  a  kernel  which  may  take 
root  and  grow  up  in  the  heart  of  the  readers.  I  have  had  the 
satisfaction  of  finding  in  a  remote  Waldensian  valley  a  pious 
soul  to  whom  the  book,  even  in  the  extremely  abridged  form 
of  the  French  translation,  had  become  a  source  of  happiness 
and  edification.  The  hope  I  entertain  for  it  rests  upon  the 
fact,  that  in  place  of  being  composed,  like  other  works  of  the 
kind,  I  believe  I  can  say  of  it  with  truth  that  it  was  rather  an 
effusion.  It  was  the  fruit  of  a  mind  which  sought  to  reap  good 
to  the  Church  from  hours  of  sorrow  as  well  as  of  joy,  for  it 
originated  in  a  season  of  heavy  trial,  when,  owing  to  the  weak- 
ness of  my  eyesight,  I  was  prevented  in  the  winter  evenings 
from  prosecuting  my  learned  studies.  Like  the  pious  Ter- 
steegen,  I  then  thought  with  myself :  "  If  my  God  does  not 
will  as  I  do,  I  will  as  He  does,  and  thus  we  always  keep  on 
friendly  terms."  I  also  sought  to  extract  a  gratification  from 
those  hours  of  bitter  suffering  by  presenting  to  Christian  souls 
a  fruit  of  the  heart  in  place  of  a  labour  of  the  head.  And  the 
Lord  has  been  pleased  to  bless  it,  as  I  know  by  testimonies 
from  the  Churches  of  various  countries  which  have  reached 
me,  and  made  me  ashamed.  I  therefore  indulge  the  hope, 
that  in  that  Christian  land,  which  above  most  others  has  been 
blessed  with  a  riches  of  devotional  books,  this  one  also,  in  its 
own  peculiar  style,  will  find  minds  and  hearts  which  will  feel  its 
attraction.  It  has  a  specialty  adapted  to  the  present  reHgious 
wants  of  Britain ;  for  while  it  edifies  it  seeks  to  instruct^  and  that 

"^  This  refers  to  the  twelve  Meditations  on  the  Fasts  and  Festivals.  These 
form  an  independent  work. 


Preface  to  English  Translation.  xiii 

on  the  practical  duties  of  the  Christian  life.  This,  no  doubt, 
it  does  exclusively  upon  the  ground  on  which  alone  the  fruits 
of  life  ever  grow — I  mean,  the  ground  of  faith.  I  have  been 
young,  but  now  am  old — I  have  spent  a  whole  lifetime  in 
batding  against  infidelity  with  the  weapons  of  apologetical 
science, — but  I  have  become  ever  more  and  more  convinced 
that  the  way  to  the  heart  does  not  lie  through  the  head ;  and 
that  the  only  way  to  the  conversion  of  the  head  lies  through  a 
converted  heart,  which  already  tastes  the  living  fruits  of  the 
Gospel. 

A.   THOLUCK. 


METRICAL    PROGRAMME. 


I.  GENERAL   PART. 

I.  If  Wobz  bt  from  txm  MM^W  i^isjointb, 
Its  sole  forrnbalion's  mib^rmin^ir. 


MEDITATIONS. 


Oh  happy  who  themselves  condemn,    . 
Faith  proves  a  savingkpower  to  them  ; 
And  faith  on  Holy  Scripture  rests, 
Which,  what  God  is,  what  man,  attests 


9-15 
16-19 

20-25 


II.  m)^zn  gnit^  t^z  ^zmi  to  f  #©@  unseals, 
J^uU  mang  a  flofocr  its  jd^arnt  xzbzuh. 


Faithful  and  kind,  a  gardener  here 
Labours  from  weeds  the  beds  to  clear ; 
While  late  and  early  dew  in  showers 
From  heaven  revives  the  drooping  flowers  : 
Though  clouds  at  times  the  sky  invest, 
In  the  cool  shade  some  plants  thrive  best  :  . 
Inside  the  garden  fairest  shows. 
Yet  to  earth's  ends  its  perfume  throws  ; 
And  all  life's  ranks  and  handicrafts 
Partake  the  fragrance  which  it  wafts  ; 


26-30 
31-40 
41-47 

48-55 
56-64 


Metrical  Programme,  xv 


III.    S^l^ongl^  soon  \\t  brigl^l  \m^  fab^  anb  bw, 

1#^@  on  sofon  fijlbs  can  s^ea&w  bwcrg.    .      65-67 


II.  SPECIAL   PART. 

THE    CIRCLE   OF   HUMAN    LIFE. 

Oh  who  will  teach  me,  ere  it  fleets  away, 

To  make  the  most  of  life's  brief  winter  day  ?         .        .         .      68,  69 

Behold,  the  Church  extends  the  hand  of  grace 

To  help  the  pilgrim  entering  on  the  race  ; 

And,  ere  the  threatening  storms  obscure  the  sky, 

Yields  him  a  refuge  in  her  sanctuary  :.....  70 

That  hand  he  holds  until,  in  strength  increased. 

The  Master  calls  him  to  the  holy  feast. 

Where  the  new  man  receives  congenial  food, 

As  died  the  old  in  the  baptismal  flood  :        .         .         .         .      71,  72 

Thus,  trained  by  home  and  Church  to  meet  the  strife, 

In  manhood's  strength  he  takes  the  field  of  life  ; 

And,  first  the  wide  and  various  scene  explored. 

Selects  some  spot  on  which  to  serve  the  Lord  :      .         .         .  73 

Next,  that  the  hours  of  toil  may  sweetly  glide, 

He  calls  the  gentle  helpmate  to  his  side,         ....  74 

And  labours  on,  till,  old  and  weary  grown. 

Kind  death  approaching,  mows  the  veteran  down  :         .         .  75 

Then  meet  the  mourners  round  his  silent  grave, 

And  God  adore  for  the  dear  friend  He  gave  :         ,         .         .  76 


TABLE    OF    CONTENTS. 


1 .  We  are  the  offspring  of  God. 

2.  Our  days  are  few  and  full  of  trouble. 

3.  One  thing  is  needful. 

4.  Teach  us  to  number  our  days. 

5.  All  of  us  have  sinned. 

6.  I  was  shapen  in  iniquity. 

7.  In  many  things  we  offend. 

8.  Though  I  be  unconscious  of  guilt,  I  am  not  therefore  justified. 

9.  Blessed  is  he  whose  transgression  is  forgiven,  whose  sin  is  covered. 

10.  We  are  justified  freely  by  His  grace,  through  the  redemption  that  is 

in  Christ  Jesus. 

11.  The  Lord  hath  loved  me  with  an  everlasting  love. 

12.  I  obtained  mercy,  because  I  resisted  ignorantly  in  unbelief 

13.  Christ  is  the  Way,  the  Truth,  and  the  Life. 

14.  Faith  is  a  new  sense. 

15.  The  heavens  declare  the  glory  of  God. 

16.  The  law  of  the  Lord  converteth  souls. 

17.  Blessed  is  he  who  meditateth  day  and  night  in  the  law  of  the  Lord. 

18.  I  am  not  come  to  destroy  the  law  or  the  prophets. 

19.  O  Lord,  how  great  are  Thy  works,  and  Thy  thoughts  are  very  deep. 

20.  Thou  understandest  my  thoughts  afar  off. 

21.  He  doeth  according  to  His  will. 

22.  The  wrath  of  God  is  revealed  from  heaven  against  all  ungodliness. 

23.  The  Lord  giveth  every  one  according  to  his  ways. 

24.  Knowest  thou  not  that  the  goodness  of  God  leadeth  thee  to  repent- 

ance. 

25.  The  lot  is  cast  into  the  lap,  but  the  disposing  thereof  is  of  the  Lord. 

26.  The  Lord  is  my  Shepherd,  I  shall  not  want. 

27.  The  vinedresser  purges  the  vine. 

28.  He  hath  filled  me  with  bitterness. 


Table  of  Contents,  xvii 


( 


29.  Count  it  all  joy  when  ye  fall  into  divers  temptations. 

30.  Since  I  spake  against  my  son,  I  do  earnestly  remember  him  still. 

31.  Before  I  was  afflicted  I  went  astray.' 

32.  Of  His  fulness  have  all  we  received,  and  grace  for  grace. 

33.  Draw  nigh  to  God,  and  He  will  draw  nigh  to  you. 

34.  Jesus  withdrew  Himself  to  pray. 

35.  The  Spirit  maketh  intercession  for  us  with  groanings  that  cannot  be 

uttered. 

36.  God  is  the  chief  good. 

37.  This  is  our  confidence,  that  if  we  ask  anything  according  to  His  will, 

He  heareth  us. 

38.  The  Lord's  Prayer. 

39.  I  am  with  you  alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world. 

40.  They  continued  steadfastly  in  fellowship. 

41.  How  long  halt  ye  between  two  opinions  ? 

"^2.   Sin  shall  not  have  dominion  over  you,  for  ye  are  under  gi-ace. 

43.  I  am  formed  out  of  the  clay. 

44.  Thou  didst  hide  Thy  face  and  I  was  troubled. 

45.  Where  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is,  there  is  liberty. 

46.  The  heart  is  deceitful  above  all  things,  who  can  know  it  ? 

47.  A  just  man  falleth  seven  times,  and  riseth  up  again  ;  but  the  wicked 

shall  fall  into  mischief. 

48.  Abraham  against  hope  believed  in  hope. 

49.  In  Christ  Jesus  neither  circumcision  availeth  anything,  nor  uncircum- 

cision,  but  faith  which  worketh  by  love. 

50.  Now  abideth  faith,  hope,  charity,  these  three  ;  but  the  greatest  of  these 

is  charity. 

51.  Know  ye  not  that  your  body  is  the  temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost  ? 

52.  The  love  of  money  is  the  root  of  all  evil. 

53.  Learn  of  me,  for  T  am  meek  and  lowly  in  heart. 

54.  Learn  of  me,  for  I  am  meek  and  lowly  in  heart, 

55.  Put  away  lying,  and  speak  every  man  truth  with  his  neighbour. 

56.  Let  every  soul  be  subject  unto  the  higher  powers. 

57.  Let  every  man  abide  in  the  same  calling  wherein  he  was  called. 

58.  He  that  is  faithful  in  that  which  is  least,  is  faithful  also  in  much. 

59.  There  are  many  members,  yet  but  one  body. 

60.  Husband  and  wife  are  no  more  twain,  but  one  flesh  ;  what,  therefore, 

God  hath  joined,  let  not  man  put  asunder. 

61.  Marriage  is  a  great  mystery;  but  I  speak  concerning  Christ  and  the 

Church. 

62.  Thy  wife  shall  be  as  a  fruitful  vine  by  the  sides  of  thine  house  ;  thy 

children  like  olive-plants  round  thy  table. 

63.  Suffer  little  children  to  come  unto  me. 


xviii  Table  of  Contents. 

64.  He  that  converteth  a  sinner  from  the  error  of  his  ways  shall  save 

soul  from  death. 

65.  It  .doth  not  yet  appear  what  we  shall  be. 

66.  I  saw  a  new  heaven  and  a  new  earth. 

67.  The  creature  itself  shall  be  delivered  from  the  bondage  of  corruption. 


THE   CIRCLE   OF   HUMAN   LIFE. 

68.  New- Year's  Day. 

69.  A  birthday. 

70.  Baptism. 

71.  Profession  of  faith. 

72.  The  Lord's  Supper. 

73.  Outset  in  life. 

74.  Marriage. 

75.  The  evening  of  life. 

76.  The  death  of  the  Christian. 


I. 


ff  fo&c  h  ixam  itnt  J 3^1  if  bxspm^ir, 
fl»  sole  fflunbatbii's  tinirammJ^. 


HOURS     OF     DEVOTION. 


1. 

TOe  are  tl&e  ©ttsptfng  at  (Sail. 

God's  so;?,  thou  art,  no  doubt,  but  ah  !  the  one 
Who  fled  his  Father's  house,  and  was  tindone. 

Acts,  xvii.  28.  "  In  Him  we  live,  and  move,  and  have  our 
being ;  as  certain  also  of  your  own  poets  have  said,  For 
we  are  also  His  offspring." 

I  AM  the  offspring  of  God,  for  in  Him  we  live,  and  move, 
and  have  our  being.  Of  this  consciousness — the  con- 
sciousness that  God  is  not  afar  off,  but  a  God  that  is  near — 
some  trace,  as  I  imagine,  will  be  found  in  every  human  being 
not  sophisticated  by  education  or  depraved  by  a  life  of  sin. 
There  must  be  something  in  our  nature  which  connects  us 
with  the  great  Fountain  of  truth,  goodness,  and  beauty;  for 
otherwise  how  could  we  take  delight  in  the  true,  the  good,  and 
the  beautiful?  The  more  simple  and  innocent  a  man  is,  the 
more  vividly  he  feels  that  he  is  related  to  God,  although  into 
the  nature  of  the  relationship  he  has  no  clear  insight.  And 
this  feeling  must  be  rooted  amazingly  deep  in  the  heart,  for 
we  hold  it  fast  in  spite  of  the  misery  and  sin  which  abound  in 


4  I.    We  are  the  Offspring  of  God. 

the  world,  and  which  seem  to  give  it  the  lie.  I  never  could 
divest  myself  of  the  conviction  that  in  this  house  of  clay  ^ 
there  dwells  a  spirit  whose  native  country  is  the  other  world. 
And  to  that  other  world  the  way  is  unobstructed.  Angels 
still  fly  down  from  it,  and  bring  messages  to  us  here  on  earth. 
Yes,  "God  is  a  God  at  hand,  and  not  afar  off"  from  His 
creatures.  2 

All  this  I  have  said  to  myself;  and  yet  when  I  reflect  upon 
the  miseries  of  man's  life,  the  fickleness  and  frailty  of  his 
heart,  and  the  black  wickedness  which  he  is  capable  of  com- 
mitting, I  am  far  less  inclined  to  wonder  at  those  who,  being 
destitute  of  the  light  of  God's  Word,  doubt  of  their  divine  ex- 
traction, than  at  those  who  believe  it.  "  Man  that  is  born  of 
woman  is  of  few  days,  and  full  of  trouble.  He  cometh  forth 
like  a  flower,  and  is  cut  down  :  he  fleeth  also  as  a  shadow,  and 
continueth  not."  ^  Oh,  how  pathetically  do  these  words,  from 
an  early  age  of  the  world,  express  the  sentiment,  which  sug- 
gests itself  far  more  readily  to  the  mind  of  him  who  contem- 
plates the  surface  of  human  life  than  does  the  exclamation, 
"  We  are  the  offspring  of  God  "  !  Hear,  too,  how  Luther  de- 
scribes the  human  heart.  "  It  is,"  he  says,  "  like  a  ship  at 
sea,  tossed  by  tempests  from  the  four  quarters  of  the  globe. 
On  this  side  beat  fear  and  anxiety  about  future  misfortunes — 
on  that,  trouble  and  sorrow  about  present  evil.  Here  pre- 
sumption and  hope  of  prosperity  to  come  inflate,  there  blow 
the  gales  of  joy  and  confidence  in  present  blessings."  How, 
then,  can  this  fleeting  child  of  an  hour,  this  slave  of  every 
passion,  be  the  offspring  of  God?  It  is  a  riddle;  who  can 
solve  it? 

So,  indeed,  may  they  exclaim  who  have  not  yet  taken  the 
divine  Word  to  be  the  light  of  their  feet.  But,  God  be 
thanked  !  I  know  the  simple  solution.  Man  is  the  son  of 
God ;  but  he  is  the  prodigal  son,  now  sojourning  ui  a  far 
country  and  feeding  upon  husks. 

1  Job,  X.  9;  iv.  19.  2  jgj..  xxiii.  23.  ^  Job,  xiv.  i,  2. 


I.    IVe  are  the  Offspring  of  God.  5 

From  God  Himself  I  claim  descent,  of  no  mean  lineage  I ; 
Why  then  from  heaven  averted  turns  to  earth  my  grovelling  eye  ? 
God  lives  and  moves  within  me,  sure  that  proves  no  vulgar  birth  ! 
And  yet  I  live  in  bondage  to  the  meanest  things  of  earth. 
Read  me  this  riddle :  Yes,  my  child,  thou  art  of  God  the  son— 
That  son  who  turned  a  prodigal,  and  fled  and  was  undone. 

Yes,  here  too,  as  in  so  many  other  instances,  Holy  Scripture 
reconciles  the  contradictory,  and  justifies  each  of  the  conflict- 
ing feelings  in  the  human  heart.  But  if  I  am  the  prodigal  son, 
surely  my  first  and  great  concern  should  be  to  understand  cor- 
rectly the  miserable  state  to  which  I  have  been  reduced.  On 
this  subject  I  must  not  allow  myself  to  be  dazzled  by  the  re- 
collection of  the  primeval  nobility  of  my  nature.  That  recol- 
lection should  at  the  most  only  serve  to  kindle  aspiration  in 
my  heart.  How  comes  it  that  so  many,  yielding  to  the  seduc- 
tion of  a  foolish  pride,  disavow  the  debasing  penury  and 
wretchedness  with  which  we  are  encompassed?  They  are  like 
persons  on  whose  ear  some  discord  grates,  but  who  persuade 
themselves  that  it  is  a  concord,  until  at  last  they  blunt  their 
sense  of  hearing.  Or  they  are  like  the  unjust  steward  in  the 
parable ;  ^  being  ashamed  to  beg^  they  think  it  better  to  cheats 
at  least  themselves.  I  will  not  imitate  them.  No ;  I  acknow- 
ledge myself  to  be  the  prodigal,  living  in  the  far  country,  and 
feeding  upon  husks.  The  longing  of  my  heart  goes  vehemently 
forth  towards  the  land  of  spiritual  freedom ;  it  is  my  true  father- 
land, and 

He  who  has  known  a  home  will  kiss  no  more 
The  chain  that  binds  him  to  a  foreign  shore. 

Yes,  I  too  exclaim,  "  I  am  the  offspring  of  God,"  but  I  do 
it  with  eyes  suffused  with  tears ;  for  I  perceive  that  the  divine 
element  within  me  is,  contrary  to  its  nature,  thwarted,  whereas 
of  right  it  ought  to  reign.  Man  is  the  lost  sheep  once  fed 
beneath  the  crook  of  the  good  Shepherd,  and  which  then  had 
sunshine  and  green  pastures  in  abundance,  but  which  has  now 

1  Luke,  xvi.  3. 


6  I.    We  are  tJie  Offspring  of  God. 

gone  astray  in  the  wilderness  and  fallen  among  thorns.  He  is 
the  lost  penny,  stamped  with  the  image  of  a  great  king,  but 
which  has  been  trodden  in  the  dust  till  scarce  a  trace  of  the 
august  features  can  any  longer  be  discerned. ^  And  yet  the 
immortal  life  from  God,  which  is  in  me,  is  merely  overpowered 
by  death,  but  not  extinguished.  A  resurrection-germ  survives 
amid  the  fatal  slumber,  and  shoots  and  labours  towards  the  sun. 
I  am  aware  that  evil  has  the  might  within  me,  but  I  am  also 
aware  that  to  good  belongs  the  right.  I  have  read  how  in  the 
land  of  Japan  there  is  both  a  temporal  and  a  spiritual  emperor, 
and  that  the  former  possesses  all  the  power,  but  is  every  year 
obliged  to  pay  homage  to  the  latter.  There  is  the  same  rela- 
tion between  my  sinful  Adam  and  that  divine  image  which 
even  the  Fall  has  not  wholly  obliterated  from  the  soul  of 
man.  2 

So  yearns  the  prodigal  and  all  that  is  within  him  after  that 
archetypal  and  supremely  perfect  Son,  above  whose  head  the 
heavens  were  once  opened,  and  the  voice  exclaimed,  "  This  is 
my  beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased."  For  Him  he 
pants,  to  loose  his  bonds,  and  restore  afresh  the  features  of  the 
divine  likeness.  I  still  retain  within  me,  like  a  faint  remem- 
brance, a  truth  of  God,  which  the  apostle  says  was  also  "  mani- 
fest in  "  the  heathen,  but  was  by  them  "  held  in  unrighteous- 
ness ; "  ^  but  I  am  like  one  who  dreams,  and  the  truth  does 
not  take  distinct  shape  before  my  eyes.  We  often  say  we 
know  a  name  although  at  the  moment  we  cannot  call  it  to 
mind ;  but  let  another  come  and  utter  the  long-forgotten  word 
and  we  recognise  it  at  once.  The  same  happens  to  us  with 
respect  to  that  truth  from  God  in  which  we  live,  and  move, 
and  have  our  being,  but  which  we  are  unable  to  recall.  He 
who  lay  in  the  Father's  bosom  has  uttered  the  word  of  it,  and 
it  too  we  recognise.  Since  then  we  see,  what  we  never  saw 
before,  that  we  are  prodigal  sojis ;  but  at  the  same  time  we  see 
the  way  which  leads  to  our  home. 

^  Luke,  XV.  8,  2  James,  iii.  9.  ^  Rom.  i.  18,  32. 


2.  Otir  Days  are  few  and  full  of  Trouble. 


The  Soul. 

My  God  and  Father  !  I  pant  after  Thee,  and  can  'no  longer 
be  satisfied  with  anything  else.  Thou  art  the  source  of  my 
being,  and,  consequently,  its  end  and  aim.  Wilt  Thou  know 
me  again,  all  disfigured  as  I  am  ? 

The  Lord. 

•  Make  Christ  thy  robe,  and  then  thou  shalt  be  known, 
If  thou  art  His,  for  mine  I  will  thee  own. 
Thy  high  descent  no  heritage  bestows  ; 
He  is  my  son,  whose  soul  my  image  shows. 


2. 

©ur  19  ass  are  to  antJ  full  of  trouble. 

The  roses  grow  on  thorns,  say  I, 

The  thorns  on  roses,  you  reply  ; 

And  to  determijte  which  has  hit 

The  truth  will  tax  a  subtle  wit ; 

Though  sure  it  makes  a  difference  vast, 

Which  word  stands  first  and  which  comes  last. 

EccLus.  xl.  1-4.  "  Great  travail  is  created  for  every  man, 
and  an  heavy  yoke  is  upon  the  sons  of  Adam,  from  the  day 
that  they  go  out  of  their  mother's  womb  till  the  day  that 
they  return  to  the  mother  of  all  things.  Their  imagina- 
tion of  things  to  come,  and  the  day  of  death,  trouble  their 
thoughts  and  cause  fear  of  heart ;  from  him  that  sitteth 
on  the  throne  of  glory,  unto  him  that  is  humbled  in  earth 
and  ashes ;  from  him  that  weareth  the  purple  and  a  crown, 
unto  him  that  is  clothed  with  a  linen  frock." 


8  2.  Our  Days  are  few  and  full  of  Trouble, 

WHETHER  there  be  more  of  joy  or  sorrow  in  human 
life  is  a  question  on  which  very  different  opinions 
are  entertained.  In  answering  it,  many  circumstances  must 
be  taken  into  account,  and  none  more  than  the  quantity  of 
human  misery  which  we  admit  within  our  observation.  There 
was  once  an  Eastern  king  who,  desirous  that  his  eye  might 
never  fall  upon  the  wretchedness  of  his  subjects,  barred  the 
entrance  of  his  palace  even  to  the  light  of  the  sun,  and  beneath 
the  glitter  of  variegated  lamps  spent  his  days  in  jollity  and 
mirth.  And  so  might  any  one  spend  his  days,  could  he  be 
content  to  live  by  lamp-light,  and  contrive  to  exclude  from  his 
mind  all  that  afflicts  himself  and  others.  That  is  what  I 
cannot  do.  I  survey  the  foes  which,  in  countless  hosts  within 
us  and  without,  wage  war  with  human  happiness.  I  reflect  on 
the  heaps  of  disappointed  hopes  that  lie  behind,  and  on  the 
no  less  numerous  fears  of  future  evil  which  brood  before,  every 
member  of  our  race.  I  learn  from  experience  that  there  is 
scarce  a  family,  scarce  even  a  single  individual,  who  is  not 
burdened  with  some  peculiar  care,  or  wounded  by  some  secret 
sorrow,  according  to  the  words  of  the  poet — 

"  In  this  vain  world  the  days  are  not  all  fair — 
To  suffer  is  the  work  we  have  to  do  ; 
And  every  one  has  got  a  cross  to  bear, 
And  every  one  some  secret  heart-ache  too." 

I  think  upon  the  sufferings  which  men  inflict  upon  each  other, 
and  upon  all  the  heavy  strokes  which  they  receive  from  the 
hand  of  God ;  and  when  I  then  direct  my  view  to  what  they 
usually  consider  the  compensation — I  mean  their  so-called 
pleasures  and  enjoyments — it  always  appears  to  me  as  if  the 
thousands  who  exult  over  the  rich  delights  of  life  were  wilfully 
cherishing  a  delusion  which,  in  a  sober  mood,  and  had  they  but 
leisure  to  be  alone,  would  vanish,  and  give  place  to  the  confes- 
sion that  they  were  not  happy.  And  when  I  further  reflect  on 
the  kind  of  consolation  with  which  they  try  to  sweeten  the  bit- 
terness of  life  and  death — those  paltry  schoolboy  rhymes,  by 


2.  Our  Days  are  few  and  full  of  Trouble.  9 

which  they  fain  would  sing  to  rest  their  hearts  that  will  not 
rest,  such  as — 

••  Taste  life's  glad  moments, 
While  the  wasting  taper  glows ; " 

or, 

"  Begone,  dull  care  ! " 

and  many  of  the  same  sort — O  children  !  I  exclaim,  was  ever 
a  conflagration  stamped  out  with  the  foot,  or  a  falling  ava- 
lanche arrested  by  the  hand  ? 

Of  a  truth,  no  clear-sighted  man  can  doubt  for  a  moment 
that  this  earth,  on  which  hours  of  tame  pleasure  must  needs 
be  drowned  in  weeks  of  bitter  anguish,  is  no  longer  a  paradise. 
Deny  it  if  you  can,  ye  who  involuntarily  pay  homage  to  the 
truth  and  are  constrained  to  sing — 

Where  grows  the  rose  that  has  no  thorn  ? 

My  child,  I  cannot  tell ; 
No  rose  e'er  blossomed  here  on  earth, 

That  had  not  thorns  as  well. 

Nay,  have  not  even  the  sages  of  the  Gentile  world  sung  to  us 
"  That  every  good  vouchsafed  to  mortals  is  accompanied  by 
two  sorrows"?  and  as  for  the  attempt  to  calm  the  troubled 
heart  by  alleging  that  without  the  thorns  the  roses  would  give 
us  no  pleasure,  I  never  could  persuade  myself  that  that  was 
true.  For  how  comes  it,  then,  that  we  dream  of  a  hereafter 
where  the  roses  have  no  thorns,  and  where  the  garlands  never 
wither  ?  If  the  light  could  not  gladden  the  heart  of  man  with- 
out its  attendant  shadow,  the  shadow  of  this  earth  would  neces- 
sarily stretch  across  into  the  land  of  the  blessed. 

No  :  others  may  pass  over  the  tears  and  shadows  of  this 
earthly  life  unconcerned — I  cannot.  Without  belying  my  in- 
most convictions,  I  must  assent  to  the  words  of  the  son  of 
Sirach,  that  "  Great  travail  is  created  for  every  man,  and  an 
heavy  yoke  is  upon  the  sons  of  Adam,  from  the  day  that  they 
go  out  of  their  mother's  womb  till  the  day  that  they  return  to 


10  2.  Oui^  Days  are  few  and  full  of  Trouble. 

the  mother  of  all  things."  I  must  admit  that  the  same  heavy 
yoke  weighs  upon  him  "  that  weareth  the  purple  and  a  crown," 
as  upon  him  "  that  is  clothed  with  a  linen  frock."  For  though 
earthly  misery,  like  sin,  takes  various  shapes,  not  without 
reason  did  the  ancients  give  wings  to  Care,  for  it  is  present  in 
every  place. 

And  I  know  of  no  key  to  the  deep  wretchedness  of  Adam's 
race  save  that  which  the  Scriptures  supply,  when  they  tell  us 
that  the  thistles  and  thorns  first  entered  the  earth  with  sin^  and 
shall  never  be  wholly  extirpated  save  in  that  new  earth  wherein 
dwelleth  righteousness?-  No  doubt  this  is  a  truth  which  it  is 
very  hard  to  confess.  Admit  it ;  and  then  every  thorn  upon 
the  flowers  of  earth  has  a  spiritual  and  unseen  sting  which 
wounds  more  sharply  than  that  which  pierces  from  without. 
And  then,  too,  every  thorn  becomes  to  us  a  preacher  of  repent- 
ance. Oh,  how  deep  a  humiliation  this  is,  and  how  revolting 
to  the  flesh  !  Are  the  cares  which  infest  the  earth  already  so 
many  and  bitter;  and  yet  must  I  feel  in  every  one  of  them 
the  additional  sting  of  sin?  It  is  even  so;  but  in  the  very 
fact  that  so  it  is,  behold,  O  man,  the  badge  of  thy  nobility  ! 
Here  is  a  proof  that  misery  and  pain,  the  crown  of  thorns  and 
the  bitter  cross,  appertain  no  more  to  thee  than  they  did  to 
thy  Saviour.  Our  sufl"ering  is  our  bondage;  and  when  "the 
glorious  liberty  of  the  children  of  God  shall  come,"  ^  they  shall 
also  be  relieved  from  the  thorny  crown  and  the  bitter  cross. 
We  shall  then  have  grown  to  full  age  :  for  the  present  we  are 
minors,  and  need  the  rod. 

"  It  is  a  good  thing,"  says  the  prophet,  "  for  a  man  that  he 
bear  the  yoke  in  his  youth."  ^  The  days  of  our  life  on  earth 
are  to  us  all  a  time  of  youth.  And  though  "  no  chastening  for 
the  present  seemeth  to  be  joyous,  but  grievous ;  nevertheless 
afterward  it  yieldeth  the  peaceable  fruit  of  righteousness  unto 
them  which  are  exercised  thereby."  *  Yes  :  afterwards  that 
peaceable  fruit  of  righteousness  shall  we  likewise  reap. 

1  2  Peter,  iii.  13 ;  Rev.  xxi.  i.  ^  Rom.  viii.  21. 

•^  Lam.  iii.  27.  ^  Heb.  xii.  11. 


2.  Our  Days  are  few  and  full  of  Trouble.  1 1 

And  all  the  less  can  we  avoid  being  humbled  under  tribu- 
lation, in  respect  that  the  heaviest  strokes  which  fall  upon  us 
are  those  inflicted  by  our  fellow-men.  "  Let  me  fall  into  the 
hand  of  the  Lord,  and  let  me  not  fall  into  the  hand  of  men,"  ^ 
was  the  prayer  of  the  saints  of  old.  Strokes  of  that  sort  serve 
to  remind  me  of  my  own  sin.  Even  the  son  of  Sirach,  in 
describing  the  misery  of  life,  speaks  of  "  anger,  zeal,  envy, 
contradiction,  and  variance ; "  and  these,  in  fact,  are  the  chief 
of  the  stripes  with  which  man  scourges  his  brother.  But  if 
earthly  aflliction  of  every  sort  makes  us  long  for  "  an  appeaser 
of  all  strife,"  much  more  does  f/iis  !  It  is  a  perpetual  dis- 
course upon  the  theme,  how  greatly  we  stand  in  need  of  a 
Prince  of  Peace  to  reign  over  us. 

When  I  think  what  must  have  become  of  me  if  I  had  passed 
all  my  life  without  having  ever  felt  the  weight  of  the  divine 
hand,  I  shudder.  Oh,  how  much  good  tribulation  has  done 
me  !  HoAv  it  has  rooted  up  the  weeds  and  lopped  off  the 
rank  shoots  of  sin  in  my  nature ;  and  how,  beneath  its  in- 
fluence, has  my  longing  after  a  Saviour  grown  more  and  more 
intense !  And  when  I  further  reflect  how  forgetful  of  God 
men  are  even  now,  overwhelmed  although  they  be  with  so  vast 
an  ocean  of  tribulation  and  misery,  I  scarcely  venture  to  figure 
to  myself  what  they  must  have  been  without  it.  Would  they 
ever  have  thought  at  all  of  an  appeaser  of  discord,  seeing  that 
even  in  their  present  state  they  imagine  they  can  dispense 
with  His  help? 

O  Lord,  I  refuse  not  Thy  correction,  for  it  is  just :  withhold 
not  Thou  from  me  Thy  strokes;  they  are  full  of  love  and 
goodness.  My  soul  is  well  pleased  that  Thou  hast  beset  the 
ways  of  men  with  thorns.  Oh,  may  all  the  thorns  of  earth 
fulfil  their  end,  and  discourse  to  me  of  the  great  heart-ache 
which  sin  has  brought  upon  humanity!  O  Lord,  we  have 
merited  this  so  bitter  wrath  of  Thine,  for  great  has  been  our 
transgression.  But  Thou  hast  proclaimicd  that  "Whoso  con- 
fesseth  his  sins  and  forsaketh  them  shall  have  mercy ; "  ^  and 

1  Ecclus.  ii.  i8  ;  2  Sam.  xxiv.  14.  ^  Prov.  xxviii.  13. 


12  3-  One  Thing  is  needful. 

as  I  now  confess  my  sins  unto  Thee,  oh  let  me  obtain  the 
mercy  which  Thou  hast  promised. 

The  Soul. 

Where  can  the  rose  that  has  no  thorn  be  found  ? 

Not  on  this  earth  of  ours ; 
But,  tell  me,  shall  earth  s  roses  always  wound 

The  hand  that  plucks  the  flowers  ? 

The  Lord. 

I  gave  the  rose  at  first  a  harmless  boon, 

The  thorns  are  thine  alone  ; 
But  ponder  well  the  truth  they  teach,  and  soon 

Their  pain  will  all  be  gone. 


©ne  2E]&mg  is  neetiful. 

Men  blindly  trifle  this  brief  life  away. 
As  thoughtless  children  treat  their  toys  at  play, 
Which,  prized  at  first,  theti  spoilt,  they  cast  aside 
As  ebbs  the  fit  of  fancy,  like  the  tide. 
We  live  without  an  aim,  nor  heed  at  all 
The  strict  account  for  which  the  Judge  will  call. 
Yet  if  the  creature  with  his  God  contend. 
Can  any  question  how  the  strife  must  end  ? 

Luke,  x.  41,  42.  "And  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  her, 
Martha,  Martha,  thou  art  careful  and  troubled  about 
many  things ;  but  one  thing  is  needful :  and  Mary  hath 
chosen  that  good  part  which  shall  not  be  taken  away 
from  her." 

THERE  is  nothing  which  more  clearly  shows  the  deceit- 
fulness  of  sin,  than  the  fact  that  men  so  seldom  inquire 
for  what  purpose  they  have  come  into  the  world.     Sometimes, 


3-  One  Thing  is  needful.  13 

no  doubt,  we  do  hear  persons  who  would  not  be  thought 
totally  devoid  of  Christianity,  saying  to  themselves,  "  I  must 
work  while  it  is  day," — as  if  all  depended  upon  the  working, 
and  nothing  upon  the  nature  of  the  work.  He  who  carries  on 
some  of  the  homelier  trades  of  life  seems  likely  to  arrive  at  the 
conviction  that,  in  and  of  itself,  his  occupation  can  never  be 
the  chief  end  and  object  of  his  existence,  far  sooner  than  he 
whose  employment  is  of  a  higher  kind.  The  Lord  has  told  us 
that  man  was  not  made  even  for  so  external  a  work  as  keepi?tg 
the  Sabbath ;  ^  and  far  less,  methinks,  can  he  have  been  made 
to  keep  a  shop,  or  hew  wood,  or  exercise  any  common  handi- 
craft.    These  are  all  a  mere  Martha's  service. 

But  oh  how  fatally  does  the  deceitfulness  of  sin  make  sport 
of  the  men  who  cultivate  learning  and  science  and  art !  These 
things  have  quite  a  spiritual  aspect,  and  the  pursuit  of  them 
appears  a  high  and  noble  vocation.  Nor  does  one  in  ten  of 
those  who  embrace  it  consider  that,  unless  he  make  the  love 
and  glory  of  God  his  beginning  and  end,  labour  in  the  fields 
of  literature  and  science  is  as  much  a  bondage  and  a  thraldom 
as  that  of  the  hind  at  the  plough. 

Ah !  then  no  more  across  the  main 

For  truth  and  wisdom  fly  ; 
By  love  alone  can  souls  obtain 

Worth  and  nobility. 

In  like  manner,  on  the  other  hand,  the  humblest  handicraft, 
when  exercised  from  love  to  God  and  for  His  sake,  becomes 
a  lofty  spiritual  function.     According  to  the  words  of  Luther — 

"  No  holier  work  the  priest  performs, 
Than  when  in  faith,  to  sweep  the  room. 
The  Christian  housemaid  plies  her  broom." 

History  speaks  to  us  of  earnest  7nen,  who,'  from  their  first 
outset  on  the  path  of  life,  felt  themselves  secretly  constrained 
to  inquire  where  the  path  would  lead  them.     They  could  not 

1  Mark,  ii.  27. 


14  3-  One  Thing  is  needful. 

but  wonder  at  others  who,  though  confessing  themselves  to  be 
travellers,  could  yet  tarry  at  the  inns  by  the  wayside,  and 
trifle  away  their  time,  instead  of  hastening  forward  and  pre- 
paring for  the  place  destined  to  be  their  abode  for  ever.  But 
oh  how  seldom  are  such  characters  to  be  found  !  The  world 
ought  justly  to  marvel  at  the  man  who  makes  no  inquiry  about 
his  Maker  or  his  Maker's  will,  as  at  something  unnatural; 
whereas  it  almost  seems  to  be  the  world's  opinion  that  he  is 
the  monster  who  takes  it  into  his  head  to  be  seriously  con- 
cerned about  any  such  matter.  And  yet  the  Being  whom  men 
thus  forget  is  the  God  who  made  them  ! 

But,  while  forgetting  God,  what  a  multitude  of  other  things 
they  trouble  themselves  about,  especially  in  these  days  of 
sweet  turmoil !  How  impetuously  they  pursue  a  good  which 
all  the  while  they  might  find  within  their  reach  !  With  what 
passionate  ardour  do  many  even  of  those  who  are  above  slak- 
ing their  thirst  at  the  marshes  by  the  wayside,  hunt  in  the  fields 
of  art  and  science  for  that  sovereign  balm  which  is  to  heal,  and 
heal  for  ever,  all  the  wounds  of  humanity !  How  piteously 
they  mourn  the  loss  of  any  opportunity  to  admire  some  master- 
piece of  art,  as  if  they  had  trifled  away  the  grace  of  God  ;  and 
how  eagerly  they  grasp  at  every  new  discovery  in  science  as 
if  it  were  a  draught  that  would  wake  the  dead  !  That  science 
is  good  and  art  beautiful  none  can  deny ;  but  alas  !  until  the 
wounds  of  the  soul  be  healed,  art  and  science  only  inflame,  and 
cannot  quench  its  thirst.  Out  upon  the  headlong  impetuosity 
of  men 

Who  seek  on  ocean's  boundless  sands, 

But  seek  in  vain,  the  pearl  which  'scapes  their  eye, 

Hid  in  the  refuge  of  some  tiny  shell ! 

Yes  :  not  afar  off  have  we  to  search  for  the  pearl  of  great 
price — that  pearl,  to  possess  himself  of  which  a  man  ought  to 
sell  all  that  he  hath.  The  Son  of  God  has  bequeathed  it  to  His 
Church ;  and,  since  that  day,  wherever  a  church  exists,  there 
also  is  a  market  where  the  pearl  may  be  purchased.     Out 


3-  One  Thing  is  needfnl.  1 5 

upon  the  headlong  impetuosity  of  mankind  !  Oh,  while  with 
thankful  heart  I  look  forth  from  my  refuge  among  the  green 
pastures  and  the  still  waters,  and  behold  the  multitude  rushing 
with  such  haste  and  clamour  along,  and  always  passing  the 
goal,  at  which,  if  they  but  knew  it,  it  is  their  wish  to  arrive, 
how  I  long  to  cry  out  to  them — 

Why  thus  precipitate  ? 
In  your  hot  haste  to  reach  you  pass  the  gate  ! 

Jesus,  my  Lord,  truly  dost  Thou  say  that  souls  which,  like 
Martha,  labour  only  for  this  world's  meat,  are  careful  and 
troubled  about  many  things,  and  that  the  better  part  is  that 
which  Mary  chose ;  for  since  I  began  to  hunger  for  the  meat 
of  heaven,  my  carefulness  and  trouble  are  greatly  subdued,  and 
now  are  always  mingled  with  some  sense  of  peace  ;  whereas 
before,  so  long  as  I  strove  after  earthly  blessings  and  earthly 
wisdom  alone,  I  was  never  free  from  restlessness  and  disquiet. 
But  to  the  violent,  who,  with  sword  in  hand,  would  make  a 
conquest  of  Thee,  Thou  never  yieldest.  They  only  find  who 
seek  Thee  with  childlike  hearts.  The  millions  of  sunbeams 
that  warm  and  cherish  us  come  all  of  them  at  once,  but 
all  so  softly  and  silently  down;  and  even  so  dost  Thou  de- 
sire to  be  sought  —  earnestly,  indeed,  but  not  with  hot  and 
boisterous  haste.  Dear  Lord !  when  Mary  took  her  place  at 
Thy  feet,  Thou  didst  sit  down  beside  her;  and  to  every  soul 
that  longs  after  Thee  Thou  wilt  do  the  same.  Thy  only  wish 
is  to  see  us  all  at  Thy  feet  like  her.  From  the  silence  that 
reigns  in  Thy  school,  I  used  to  think  that  life  in  a  manner 
ceased  when  love  to  Thee  began ;  and,  behold,  I  have  found 
that  '''■in  loving  Thee  I  first  began  to  live."  So  long  as  I  was 
out  of  the  centre  I  roved  around  the  whole  circumference  of 
creation,  and  had  no  rest.  I  found  the  centre  in  finding  God, 
and  I  need  to  wander  about  for  rest  no  more. 

True  it  is  that  avocations  such  as  Martha's  are  also  ap- 
pointed for  us  in  this  life ;  and  Thou  Thyself,  O  Jesus,  by 
Thy  humble  labours  in  the  carpenter's  shop,  hast  sanctified 


1 6  3.  One  Thing  is  needful. 

all  trades  and  handicrafts,  thereby  putting  me  to  shame,  and 
teaching  me  by  Thy  example  to  count  no  labour  which  life 
imposes,  ignoble  or  unclean.  A  light  in  the  centre  illumines 
the  whole  circumference ;  and  even  so,  when  there  is  grace  in 
the  heart,  it  radiates  its  brightness  upon  all  man's  outward 
employments.  Martha,  then,  performs  her  service,  but  she 
does  it  with  the  mind  of  Mary.  Holy  Jesus  !  doubtless  Thy 
abour  in  the  shop  of  Joseph  was  as  much  a  worship  as  Thy 
prayers  in  the  temple.  It  was  ever  Thy  meat  to  do  Thy 
heavenly  Father's  will,  and  with  this  hidden  manna  Thou  wert 
regaled  even  when  standing  at  the  carpenter's  bench.  And 
the  same  hidden  manna  shall  also  be  my  food,  whether  in  my 
workshop  or  at  my  desk,  whether  labouring  in  the  fields  or 
walking  in  the  streets. 

In  every  work,  however  mean, 

Some  touch  of  heaven  we  trace, 
If  but  the  heart  within  have  felt 

The  influence  of  grace. 
And  art  and  skill,  beneath  love's  ray, 
Their  choicest  flowers  and  fruits  display. 

O  Lord,  rich  in  grace,  when  Thou  takest  possession  of  the 
heart,  how  beautifully  all  the  natural  talents  Thou  hast  lent 
us  expand  !  Beneath  the  sunny  influence  of  Thy  love  even 
our  secular  employments  thrive  and  prosper.  Oh,  if  they  but 
knew,  how  would  the  men  who  only  strive  for  success  in  tem- 
poral affairs  take  to  heart  what  Thy  Word  avers,  that  *'  godli- 
ness is  profitable  unto  all  things,  having  promise  of  the  life 
that  now  is,  and  of  that  which  is  to  come  "  !  ^  And  were  our 
philosophers  and  artists  thoroughly  penetrated  by  the  light  and 
warmth  of  the  Sun  of  grace,  how  would  the  arts  and  sciences 
of  this  earthly  life  flourish  as  they  have  never  yet  done  ;  and 
how  much  brighter  would  be  the  hue,  and  richer  the  fragrance, 
of  the  fruit  they  bore  !     Yes,  one  thing  is  needful. 

Give  me  the  one  chief  good,  and,  that  possessed, 
I,  in  that  one,  will  reUsh  all  the  rest. 


1  I  Tim.  iv.  8. 


4.  Teach  its  to  niunber  oitr  Days.  1 7 


All  Thou  pervadest,  Lord,  oh  let  Thy  light 

Be  shed  upon  my  darkened  sight ! 

As  tender  flowers  their  cups  unfold, 

And  open  to  the  sunbeams  hold, 

So  let  me  too 

Still  fondly  do,— 

Imbibe  Thy  rays, 

And  take  the  moulding  of  Thy  grace. 


STeac]^  us  to  numiber  our  Jiags. 

There's  nothing  that  we  less  can  trust 

Tha7t  life  and  all  it  gives  ; 
Nothing  more  sure  than  that  to  dust 

Returns  whatever  lives. 
By  every  step  in  life's  brief  race. 

From  life  itself  we  part ; 
Joy  dies  within  the  heart  apace, 

And  with  it  dies  the  heart. 

I  Cor.  XV.  32.  *'  If  after  the  manner  of  men  ^  I  have  fought 
with  beasts  at  Ephesus,  what  advantageth  it  me,  if  the 
dead  rise  not  ?  let  us  eat  and  drink ;  for  to-morrow  we 
die."  2 

Heb.  ix.  27.  "  It  is  appointed  unto  men  once  to  die,  but 
after  this  the  judgment." 

Psalm  xc.  12.  "  So  teach  us  to  number  our  days,  that  we 
may  apply  our  hearts  unto  wisdom." 

MAY  it  not  be  said  of  the  vast  majority  of  mankind  that 
they  live  as  if  they  imagined  they  were  never  to  die  ? 
And  yet  it  is  not  so.     The  fact  seems  rather  to  be  that,  aware 

^  I.e.,  without  regard  to  the  retribution  of  eternity. 

^  This  saying  of  a  Greek,  poet  shows  the  view  taken  of  life  by  many  of  the 
heathen  who  did  not  believe  in  the  world  to  come. 

B 


1 8  4.   Teach  us  to  number  our  Days. 

how  short  is  the  span  that  separates  them  from  the  confine  at 
which  they  must  surrender  and  bid  adieu  to  all  this  earth 
has  given  them,  they  would  fain  enjoy  life  while  it  lasts. 
''  Death  makes  pale  the  face,"  is  indeed  a  weighty  truth  ;  but 
it  fares  no  better  than  all  other  such  weighty  truths  when 
committed  to  the  power  of  man.  If,  in  the  hand  of  one,  it 
becomes  a  staff  on  which  he  safely  leans,  in  that  of  another  it 
is  transformed  into  a  serpent.  Does  death  indeed,  he  says, 
make  pale  the  face  ?  ''  Well,  then,  come  on,  let  us  enjoy 
the  good  things  that  are  present ;  and  let  us  diligently  use  the 
creatures  like  as  in  youth.  .  .  .  Let  us  crown  ourselves 
with  rosebuds  ere  they  be  withered."  ^ 

But  what  is  this  pale  death,  for  on  that  all  depends  ?  Is  it 
the  black  wall  at  which  the  pilgrim  halts,  and — goes  down? 
Is  it  the  sleep  which  no  dreams  disturb  ?  Or  is  it  the  dark 
partition  between  us  and  the  holy  land?  Is  it  the  swift 
moment,  the  little  bridge,  on  which  the  brief  sleep  of  time 
encounters  the  long  awakening  of  eternity?  That  black  is 
the  wall  at  which  the  days  of  our  life  terminate  is  denied  by 
none.  Well  for  him  who  can  discern  in  it  the  little  door 
through  which  the  light  of  the  day  of  judgment  throws  its 
purple  rays ! 

Judging  by  what  meets  the  eye,  we  might  suppose  that 
although  the  leaves  of  that  door  stand  always  open,  the  vast 
majority  of  mankind  had  never  observed  it.  Like  Belshazzar, 
they  appear  to  sit  at  the  banquet  of  life  without  one  thought 
of  the  dark  and  silent  hand  which  is  all  the  while  inscribing 
upon  the  wall,  "  Thou  art  weighed  in  the  balance  and  found 
wantiftg."  I  am  persuaded,  however,  that  this  is  mere  ap- 
pearance. I  am  confident  that  there  is  not  a  human  being 
whose  heart  has  not,  some  time  or  other,  felt  a  presentiment 
of  the  terrors  of  judgment.  No  one  believes  that  all  is  over 
at  death,  or  at  least  believes  it  firmly  and  at  all  times.  And 
will  not  what  is  to  ensue  thereafter  merely  resume  the  thread 
which  was  broken  here ;  and  if  so,  will  there  be  no  accusers  to 
1  Wisdom  of  Solomon,  ii,  6-8. 


4-   Teach  ics  to  ntirnber  our  Days.  19 

testify  of  hours  misspent,  of  privileges  abused,  of  places  pro- 
faned, of  debts  unpaid,  and  hidden  secrets  of  iniquity? 

If  there  be  no  presentiment  of  a  day  of  judgment  even 
in  the  heart  of  the  thoughtless,  whence  comes  their  dread  of 
being  left  alone  ?  This  feeling  admits  of  no  explanation  but 
the  fact  that  even  here  on  earth  there  are  accusers  which,  in 
solitary  hours,  present  to  man  his  unpaid  accounts.  Or 
whence,  if  not  from  such  a  presentiment,  come  the  resolutions 
which  so  many  form,  and  repeat,  and  again  repeat,  to  amend 
their  lives  and  seek  out  new  paths  for  their  feet  ?  Oh  that  the 
ability  were  only  as  strong  as  the  wish  !  but 

At  thirty  man  suspects  himself  a  fool  ; 
Knows  it  at  forty,  and  reforms  his  plan  ; 
At  fifty  chides  his  impotent  delay, 
Pushes  his  prudent  purpose  to  resolve- 
In  all  the  magnanimity  of  thought, 
Resolves  and  re-resolves,  and  dies  the  same. 

It  is  true  that  serious  thoughts  like  that  of  the  day  of  judg- 
ment do  not  float  upon  the  surface,  and  this  may  be  the 
reason  why  many  a  one  appears  far  less  concerned  than  he 
really  is.  Let  some  man  of  God,  however,  push  the  probe 
deep  into  the  thoughtless  heart,  and  it  is  soon  seen  that  he 
touches  the  quick.  No  one  probably  perceived  from  the 
countenance  of  Felix,  the  Roman  governor,  that  any  dread  of 
eternity  lingered  in  his  greedy  and  voluptuous  bosom.  But  if 
that  had  not  been  the  case,  why  do  we  read  that,  "  as  Paul 
reasoned  of  righteousness,  temperance,  and  judgment  to  come, 
Felix  trembled,  and  answered.  Go  thy  way  for  this  time  "  ?  ^ 

Yes ;  without  a  doubt,  in  the  deep  despondency  which 
creeps  over  us  all  at  the  thought  of  separation  from  the  good 
things  of  this  life,  there  is  always  some  touch  of  the  terrors  of 
eternity. 

Begin  the  song  of  death  to  sing, 

That  solemn  parting  strain  ; 
Perhaps  this  very  day  may  bring 

An  end  to  all  thy  pain. 


1  Acts,  xxiv.  25. 


20  4-   Teach  us  to  number  our  Days. 

Yes  ;  without  a  doubt,  the  awe  which  these  words  inspire 
springs  not  merely  from  sohcitude  about  what  we  leave  behind, 
but  likewise  from  anxiety  about  what  awaits  us  before.  No 
one  can  be  happy  in  this  present  life  unless  he  be  assured  of  salva- 
tion in  the  life  to  come.  In  former  days,  when  as  yet  I  knew 
not  in  what  I  believed,  it  used  deeply  to  affect  and  humble  me, 
while  composing  long  dissertations  upon  such  questions  as, 
Whether  the  soul  is  immortal,  and  what  immortality  is, — to  hear 
beheving  Christians  speaking  upon  the  subject  as  confidently 
as  if  they  had  just  come  from  the  heavenly  land.  This  was 
nothing  but  the  fulfilment  of  the  promise,  "  He  that  believeth 
on  the  Son  hath  everlasting  life,"  and  ^^  tasteth  the  powers  or 
the  world  to  come."  ^ 

As  for  the  man  who  has  never  yet  made  his  peace  with  God, 
how  can  he  possibly  be  happy  in  this  life,  seeing  that  every 
moment  is  conducting  him  farther  and  farther  away  from  the 
place  which  contains  all  that  gives  pleasure  to  his  heart  ? 
Every  tick  of  the  clock,  every  particle  of  sand  that  drops  in 
the  hour-glass,  proclaims  that  a  fragment  of  his  life,  and,  with 
it,  of  his  fortitude  and  joy,  is  gone.  Dost  thou  hear  the  low 
but  mournful  lay  which  the  softly-falling  grains  never  cease 
to  sing? — 

Behold,  O  man  !  and  thee  bethink 
How  these,  our  Httle  sands,  that  sink, 
Life's  ebb  proclaim. 

As  one  by  one  we  steal  away. 
So  silently  does  fell  decay 
Prey  on  thy  frame. 

What  though  our  course  be  still  and  slow  ? 
No  pause  by  day  or  night  we  know, 
But  ever  drop. 

And  come  there  will  an  hour  when  all 
Are  gone,  and  as  the  last  shall  fall 
Thy  pulse  shall  stop. 


1  John,  iii.  36 ;  Heb.  vi.  5. 


5-    We  are  all  alike  Sinners,  21 

O  my  soul  !  is  it  indeed  the  case  that  no  man  can  be  happy 
in  this  Hfe  without  the  assurance  of  salvation  in  the  hfe  to 
come  ?  Be  it  then  thy  endeavonr  so  to  live  as  at  the  hour  of 
death  thou  wilt  wish  to  have  lived.  While  time  lasts,  lay  hold 
on  eternity.  Above  all,  lay  hold  on  Him  who  has  said, 
"  Whosoever  believeth  on  me  hath  everlasting  life." 


5. 

are  all  alike  Smners. 

O  God,  in  man  the  long-lost  power  renew 
Things  of  the  Spirit  to  discern  and  do. 

Rom.  iii.  22,  23.     ''For  there  is  no  difference:  for  all  have 
sinned,  and  come  short  of  the  glory  of  God." 

I  HAVE  never  yet  met  the  man  who  disputed  the  fact  of 
his  being  a  sinner ;  but  I  have  met  with  many  who  ad- 
mitted it,  and  yet  lived  on  in  the  world  as  gaily  as  if  it  entailed 
710  further  conseque7ices.  When  I  proceed  to  inquire  how  this 
can  possibly  be,  it  always  strikes  me,  as  the  chief  reason,  that 
men  do  not  give  themselves  leisure — to  reflect.  All  around  me 
appear  to  labour  under  an  indescribable  distraction  of  mind. 
I  cannot  otherwise  account  for  the  decided  manner  in  which 
they  admit  many  propositions,  and  yet  do  not  draw  from  them 
the  conclusio7is  that  are  obviously  manifest.  Since  the  hour  in 
which  I  first  clearly  apprehended  the  one  truth  that  I  a7n  a  si7i- 
7ier — agaiTist  God,  I  likewise  perceived,  as  clearly,  that  there  is 
no  business  in  life  so  important  as  to  recover  His  favour,  and 
become  His  obedient  child.  Before  that  discovery,  it  always 
seemed  to  me  as  if  my  life  had  no  proper  aim.  It  was  then 
that,  for  the  first  time,  I  became  aware  for  what  purpose  I  was 
living.     No  doubt  I  had  a  certain  object,  even  before,  but  it 


22  5'    ^^  ^^'^  ^^^  alike  Sinners. 

was  one  of  which  I  felt  ashamed,  and  therefore  did  not  ac- 
knowledge even  to  myself.  It  was,  in  truth,  to  enjoy  the 
things  of  this  world,  and  to  be  honoured  in  the  eyes  of  men. 
And  to  thousands  at  my  side,  although  they  too  are  ashamed 
to  confess  it,  this  is  the  sole  wreath  for  which  they  strive.  If, 
however,  they  would  take  time  to  reflect,  the  mere  perceptions 
of  the  understanding  w^ould  show  them  the  folly  of  their  con- 
duct. For,  supposing  our  joys  and  hopes  to  have  their  centre 
m  this  world,  what  a  painful  thought  that  we  are  every  day 
withdrawing  further  away  from  it !  whereas,  if  eternity  be  our 
end  and  aim,  how  pleasing  to  think  that  to  it  we  are  every  day 
advancing  nearer  !  When  glory  before  men  is  what  we  seek, 
we  must  needs  meet  with  perpetual  disappointment.  For  will 
the  envy  of  our  brethren  ever  permit  us  to  enjoy  such  glory  un- 
extenuated, or  will  our  vanity  ever  be  satisfied  with  the  meas- 
ure of  it  which  they  allot  ?  But  men  do  not  consider.  And 
so  we  see  them  planting,  and  building,  and  toiling,  and  enjoy- 
ing themselves.  Day  after  day  comes  and  goes,  and  the  one 
greatest  and  most  urgent  business  of  life  remains  undone.  The 
chasm  which  separates  man  from  his  God  is  not  filled  up. 

We  come  short  of  the  glory  of  God,  says  the  Bible  ;  and  what 
is  that  glory  ?  It  is  the  glory  of  walking  before  Him  as  His 
children.  In  his  blindness,  man,  indeed,  claims  for  himself  the 
privileges^  but  he  violates  the  duties,  of  a  confiding  and  always 
submissive  and  obedient  child.  No  doubt  we  hear  one  and 
another  acknowledging  that  they  are  destitute  of  this  glory,  but 
they  acknowledge  it  without  shame,  and  this  is  just  another  in- 
stance of  the  fatal  effects  of  not  taking  sufficient  time  to  con- 
sider. For  can  anything  be  more  natural  than  that  the  child 
who  is  constrained  to  confess  a  want  of  affection  and  obedience 
to  his  father,  should  at  least  feel  ashamed  when  he  makes  the 
confession?  Even  to  do  that,  however,  is  a  great  step.  I 
have  always  found  that  a  sinner  is  in  a  hopeful  way  who  has 
learned  to  blush. 

The  sinner's  shame  and  grace  of  God 
Soon  enter  into  brotherhood. 


5-    We  are  all  alike  Sinfters.  23 

There  is  no  difference,  says  the  apostle.  No  doubt,  what  he 
means,  in  the  first  instance,  is  between  Jews  and  Gentiles.  It 
may  likewise,  however,  be  said  of  all  that  are  born  of  woman, 
that  there  is  no  difference.  However  manifold  may  be  the 
shapes  which  sin  assumes  among  men,  the  attentive  spectator 
who  contemplates  it,  whether  as  existing  among  the  savage 
children  of  nature  or  in  polite  society,  among  the  old  or  the 
young,  the  learned  or  the  unlearned,  will  find  that  it  is  always 
the  same  actor  reappearing  in  different  parts.  I  have  made 
extensive  observations  upon  mankind — I  have  mixed  with  all 
classes  of  society,  and  lived  with  the  people  of  various  coun- 
tries— but  never  yet  have  I  found  a  man  who  had  not  his  weak 
side.  I  was  continually  reminded  of  the  saying  of  one  of  our 
philosophers,  that  for  every  Jmman  being  there  is  a  price  for  which 
he  may  be  bought.  No  doubt  I  have  met  with  many  a  noble 
character,  who,  at  the  slightest  motion  of  his  weak  side,  in- 
stantly took  arms  against  himself  The  weak  side,  however, 
was  still  there.  It  is  an  observation  which,  in  my  opinion, 
needs  no  very  large  experience  to  make,  and  which,  I  cannot 
doubt,  any  one  who  duly  reflects,  and  deeply  and  earnestly 
searches  the  recesses  of  his  own  heart,  must  also  admit,  that 
man — that  is,  every  human  being — carries  within  him  the  seed 
oi  every  sin  ;  and  this,  I  think,  is  the  sense  in  which  the  apostle 
has  said,  "  There  is  no  differenced^ 

One  thing  especially,  it  appears  to  me,  even  the  most  stub- 
born must  acknowledge — viz.,  that  there  is  one  moral  infirmity 
common  to  the  whole  race.  We  are  all  extravaga?itly  enam- 
oured of  ourselves.  As  Luther  says,  "  There  is  no  hole  too  little 
for  self-love  to  creep  through."  This  is  a  weak  side  which  no 
one  who  exercises  any  measure  of  self-reflection  can  disown. 
Take  but  a  single  instance.  With  what  difficulty  and  reluc- 
tance we  submit  to  have  our  frailties  laid  open  !  How  we  in- 
stantly endeavour  to  ward  off  every  attempt  of  this  sort,  even 
when  made  by  persons  whom  we  love  !  Except  those  whom 
the  Spirit  of  God  had  rendered  humble  and  meek,  I  never  met  ' 
with  any  who  could  readily  and  cheerfully  bear  to  be  told  their 


24  5-    We  are  all  alike  Sinners. 

faults.  What  more  decisive  sign  can  there  be  that  we  all  la- 
bour under  a  sore  distemper  ? 

I  have  often  cast  in  my  mind  what  ought  to  be  looked  upon 
as  the  peculiar  mark  by  which  a  Christian  may  be  distinguished 
from  a  child  of  the  world  ;  and  I  am  persuaded  that,  far  more 
than  in  anything  else,  it  is  to  be  found  in  the  difference  of 
the  impression  made  upon  him  by  the  words  sin  and  guilt. 
For  myself,  there  was  a  time  when  I  acknowledged  that  in  some, 
yea,  in  many  things,  I  came  short  in  the  sight  of  God,  and  yet 
I  remained  quite  indifferent  about  the  matter.  I  could  also 
think  with  the  utmost  coolness  and  unconcern  of  the  hour  on 
which  I  shall  have  to  appear  before  Him.  I  am  acquainted 
with  not  a  few  who  take  no  pains  about  their  sanctification,  and 
of  whom  I  yet  can  conceive  that,  when  they  pass  into  the  other 
world,  they  will  approach  the  Judge  of  all  as  bodily  and  confi- 
dently as  if  they  already  held  in  their  hands  an  order  for  the 
rewards  of  virtue  :  whereas  believing  Christians  have  received 
the  privilege  of  childship,  and  yet  how  bashful  and  timid  they 
remain  ! 

Close  to  Thy  throne  I  seek  not,  Lord,  a  place. 
Not  even  my  wish  aspires  to  venture  there — 

Grant  me  but  from  afar  to  see  Thy  face. 
And  at  Thy  threshold  breathe  my  humble  prayer  ; 

And  for  so  great  and  undeserved  a  grace. 

To  one  so  vile  as  me,  Thy  name  I'll  praise. 

Assuredly  that  is  the  sentiment  common  to  the  redeemed.  It 
is  also  mine ;  for  I  am  conscious  how  wholly  I  am  destitute  of 
the  glory  which  I  ought  to  have  in  the  sight  of  God. 

My  Lord  and  King,  it  is  true  that  with  Thee  no  boasting 
avails.  There  is,  however,  a  praise  and  a  glory  which  it  be- 
hoves us  to  present  to  Thee.  It  is  the  glory  of  being  Thy 
obedient  children ;  for  when  Thou  mad'st  us  after  Thine  own 
image,  that  is  what  Thou  mad'st  us  to  be.  Of  this  glory  I 
confess  that  I  am  destitute.  But  look  upon  me  in  mercy,  for 
I  am  heartily  ashamed  of  my  nakedness,  and  desire  to  be 
clothed  with  the  righteousness  of  Thy  Son.  Oh,  look  upon 
me  in  mercy  for  His  dear  sake  ! 


6.  /  was  shapen  in  Iniquity.  25 

6. 

31  toas  sfjapen  xxi  3iniquit2. 

Why  dost  thou  still  tip07i  the  branches  gaze  ? 
Believe  me,  child,  'twere  not  so  bad  a  case, 
If  all  the  mischief  centred  in  the  shoot, 
And  did  not  issue  from  the  root. 

Psalm  li.  A  Psalm  of  David,  when  Nathan  the  prophet 
came  unto  him,  after  he  had  gone  in  to  Bathsheba. — 
Verses  1-3.  "  Have  mercy  upon  me,  O  God,  according  to 
Thy  loving-kindness  :  according  unto  the  multitude  of 
Thy  tender  mercies  blot  out  my  transgressions.  Wash 
me  throughly  from  mine  iniquity,  and  cleanse  me  from 
my  sin.  For  I  acknowledge  my  transgressions  :  and  my 
sin  is  ever  before  me." 

HOLY  God,  before  the  light  of  Thy  grace  had  shone  upon 
me,  how  foreign  to  me  and  far  away  was  any  earnest 
desire  to  have  my  transgressions  blotted  out !  But  now,  when 
conscious  of  the  very  slightest  aberration  from  Thy  precepts, 
how  uneasily  my  heart  beats  !  I  can  find  no  rest,  nor  even 
think  of  amendment,  until  I  have  entered  my  closet  and  ac- 
knowledged to  Thee  my  transgression.  Yes  ;  vain  is  the 
attempt  at  amendme7it  in  the  future,  until  amends  have  been 
made  for  what  lies  behind  us  in  the  past.  Oh,  this  sensitive- 
ness of  conscience  !  which  sees  its  sin  continually  before  it, 
until  it  has  been  forgiven.  Is  not  this  the  surest  evidence  that 
the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  at  work  upon  the  soul  ?  No  doubt 
they  denounce  it  as  extravagance  when  even  a  little  fault  gives 
a  man  so  deep  distress.  But  what  says  the  apostle  James  ? 
"  Whosoever  shall  keep  the  whole  law,  and  yet  offend  in  one 
point,  he  is  guilty  of  all."  ^  Is  not  the  law  with  its  precepts  a 
body  with  its  members,  and  each  of  them  animated  by  the 

^  James,  ii.  i  o. 


26  6.  /  was  shapeii  in  Iniquity. 

same  soul — viz.,  the  Spirit  of  God  ?  Yes ;  the  divine  com- 
mandments are  all,  as  it  were,  suspended  upon  a  golden  thread, 
which  thread  is  the  love  of  God,  and  against  the  love  of  God 
does  he  offend  who  breaks  the  least  of  these  commandments. 
Or,  as  Luther  so  beautifully  says,  ''T\\q  first  among  the  ten  com- 
mandments contains  the  germ  of  all  the  rest."  And  does  not 
the  distinction  drawn  between  great  and  little  sins  too  often 
rest  upon  mere  appearance  ?  Tell  me,  ye  who  pass  so  merci- 
less a  judgment  upon  some  one  great  transgression  in  a  human 
life,  have  you  had  so  little  experience  of  the  power  which  op 
portunity  and  an  unguarded  moment  exercise  over  man  ?  On 
the  other  hand,  who  does  not  know  that  there  are  impious 
thoughts  in  the  secresy  of  the  closet,  subtle  sins  of  pride  which 
can  raise  a  greater  barrier  between  God  and  man  than  the 
worst  sins  of  the  flesh  ?  Was  not  Luther  right  when  he  said 
that  "  the  l>lack  devil  is  often  less  dangerous  than  the  white 
one  "  ?     In  fleshly  lust  there  is  always  more  of  sensuous  pas- 

"^  sion  and  less  of  deliberate  consciousness  than  in  spiritual  iniqui- 
ties. I  have  more  than  once  observed  that  truly  pure  and 
holy  souls  who  would  have  trembled  at  even  the  faintest  breath 
upon  the  mirror  of  their  own  hearts,  were  easily  reconciled  to 
the  pardon  of  a  David  and  a  Magdalene.  The  murmurs  came 
from  the  gross  slaves  of  vice.  Oh,  little  do  such  persons 
understand  the  mystery  of  penitential  tears  !  And  no  less  is 
the  compass  and  the  depth  of  the  domain  oistibtle  sins  hidden 
from  their  view.  I  am  persuaded  that  no  one  who  has  actually 
made  this  observation,  will  hesitate  for  a  moment  to  take  his 

■^  seat  on  the  same  penitential  bench  with  David  the  fallen  king, 
the  malefactor,  and  the  Magdalene. 

Verse  4.  ''  Against  Thee,  Thee  only,  have  I  sinned,  and 
done  this  evil  in  Thy  sight  :  that  Thou  mightest  be  justi- 
fied when  Thou  speakest,  and  be  clear  when  Thou 
judgest." 

Against  Thee,  Thee  oitly,  have  I  sinned,  is  a  weighty  word, 
and  may  be  called  the  true  mystery  of  repentance.     In  the 


6.  /  was  shapen  in  Iniquity.  27 

case  of  the  benefits  which  we  receive  from  men,  we  so  often 
look  no  further  than  the  persons  from  whom  we  receive  them, 
in  place  of  carrying  forward  our  thoughts  to  the  supreme  bene- 
factor whose  ministers  men  are.  We  act  in  precisely  the  same 
way  with  our  sins.  All  we  think  of  is  the  harm  which  we 
thereby  do  to  this  person  or  to  that,  or  to  ourselves.  But,  as 
we  have  said,  there  runs  a  golden  thread  through  all  the  com- 
mandments of  God,  and  for  that  reason  every  trespass  is  an 
offence  against  His  love.  The  little  concern  men  show  about 
their  evil  deeds,  their  unwillingness  to  take  them  to  heart,  must 
partly,  at  least,  have  its  origin  in  their  unconsciousness  that  by 
every  sin  they  distress  their  greatest  benefactor.  Were  they 
aware  of  this,  their  chief  anxiety  would  be  to  obtain  forgiveness 
from  Him  whom  their  trespasses  most  offend.  Nor  would 
they  less  acknowledge  the  righteousness  of  a  holy  God  in  His 
judgment  upon  sin,  for  they  would  then  see  in  it  more  of  its 
true  sinfulness. 

Verse  5.     "Behold,  I  was  shapen  in  iniquity;  and  in  sin 
did  my  mother  conceive  me." 

It  is  with  me  as  with  the  Psalmist,  the  contemplation  of  each 
particular  transgression  always  leads  me  back  to  the  fact  that 
not  only  are  my  actions  sinful,  but  that  /am  77iyself  d.  sinner. 
Luther  says  that  "good  works  do  not  make  a  man  good." 
May  not  the  like  also  be  said  of  evil  works  ?  He  who  attains 
to  a  true  self-knowledge  always  feels  that  the  real  sting  of  every 
misdeed  is,  that  it  shows  him  to  himself  as  one  toVhom  holi- 
ness and  truth  are  not  supremely  dear.  When  the  law  of  God 
says,  "Thou  shalt  not  kill,"  it  is  not  my  ha7id\ki2X  is  directly 
addressed,  but  myself  and  my  person.  It  is  therefore  his  inward 
bias,  inclining  either  towards  God  or  towards  that  v/hich  is  un- 
godly, according  to  which  a  man  is  accepted  or  rejected.  Such 
a  bias  King  David  feels  in  his  heart,  and  he  does  not  seek  to 
excuse  it  on  the  plea  that  it  is  innate.  No;  his  self-condemna- 
tion derives  all  the  greater  strictness  from  the  consciousness 


28  6.  /  was  shapen  in  Iniqtdty. 

that  at  the  stem,  yea,  the  very  root,  of  his  spiritual  life,  sin  has 
been  gnawing.  It  is  humanity  that  has  fallen ;  and  how  should 
not  every  human  being  lament  the  fall  ! 

Oh,  how  difficult  it  is  for  sinful  man  to  come  down  from  the 
leaves  zxi^  fruits  of  his  sin  to  the  knowledge  of  its  stem  and 
root !  not  that  this  knowledge  lies  afar  off;  but  pride  prevents 
us  attaining  to  it.  Justly  does  Luther  say,  that  this  is  the  most 
difficult  lesson  of  the  Psalm,  yea,  of  the  whole  sacred  Scrip- 
tures, and  one  without  which  the  sacred  Scriptures  cannot 
possibly  be  understood.  Such,  also,  is  the  persuasion  of  the 
Psalmist,  for  he  says  : — 

Verse  6.  "  Behold,  Thou  desirest  truth  in  the  inward  parts  : 
and  in  the  hidden  part  Thou  shalt  make  me  to  know 
wisdom." 

He  acknowledges  that  it  is  the  Spirit  of  God  which  has 
inwardly  led  him  to  the  discovery  of  his  sinfulness  in  all  its 
depth.  And  he  who  has  experienced  how  long  the  proud  heart 
revolts  against  such  a  recognition  will  readily  confess  that — 

Unaided  by  Thy  beams,  eternal  Light, 
To  know  myself  was  far  above  my  might. 

All  amendment,  however,  must  begin  with  self-acquaintance; 
and  however  bitter  of  itself  this  hidden  truth  may  be,  it  is 
nevertheless  grateful  to  one  who  cannot  bear  hypocrisy  and 
falsehood.  Painful,  also,  as  to  any  of  us  may  be  an  insight 
into  the  depth  of  our  corruption,  it  yet  has  also  a  pleasant  side. 
It  is  always  a  sign  that  God  is  dealing  with  us,  and  that  the 
Spirit  which  reproves  the  world  of  sin  has  taken  up  His  abode 
in  our  hearts. 

Verses  7-10.  ''  Purge  me  with  hyssop,^  and  I  shall  be  clean : 
wash  me,  and  I  shall  be  whiter  than  snow.  Make  me  to 
hear  joy  and  gladness  ;  that  the  bones  which  Thou  hast 

1  Levit.  xiv.  6. 


6.  /  ivas  shapen  iii  Iniquity.  29 

broken  may  rejoice.  Hide  Thy  face  from  my  sins,  and 
blot  out  all  mine  iniquities.  Create  in  me  a  clean  heart, 
O  God ;  and  renew  a  right  spirit  within  me." 

If  it  be  difficult  to  attain  to  a  U'lithftd  insight  ijito  our  corrup- 
tion, far  more  difficult  is  it,  after  this  insight  has  been  attained, 
to  summon  up  courage  enough  to  enter  the  presence  of  God, 
and  ask  Him  to  forgive  us  our  si?is.  The  second  is  doubtless 
the  hardest  part  of  the  task.  St  Bernard  says,  "  The  devil 
does  man  a  double  injury;  before  the  act  of  sin  he  robs  him  of 
shame,  and  when  the  moment  for  believing  comes,  he  unseason- 
ably gives  it  back."  And  another  father  of  the  Church  exclaims 
— "  Oh,  how  bad  a  servant  is  shame  i7t  a  beggar's  house!"  Is 
not  this  the  thing  which  they  who  have  no  experience  of  it  find 
to  be  so  incomprehensible — viz.,  that  Christians  on  the  one 
hand  think  their  sin  and  guilt  so  great,  and  at  the  same  time, 
on  the  other,  have  such  high  thoughts  of  grace  ?  But  suppos- 
ing the  case  that  a  man  after  being  so  deeply  humbled  really 
attains  to  the  unflinching  belief  that  he  has  obtained  mercy,  oh 
then,  sooner  might  the  earth  remain  parched  beneath  the 
thunder-shower,  than  that  such  a  man  should  not  bring  forth 
meet  fruits  of  gratitude  and  love.  No  :  the  apostle  speaks  of 
faith  purifying  the  heart ;  ^  and  even  so,  in  fact,  does  forgive- 
ness of  sin  make  the  sinner's  heart  pure.  The  right  spirit  is 
renewed  within  him,  so  that  he  advances  steadily  in  the  path  of 
holiness.  When  St  Paul  says  that  "  all  things  must  work  to- 
gether for  good  to  them  that  love  God,"  the  word  all  may  be 
held  to  include  even  sin.  For  does  not  every  new  absolution 
received  after  the  new  transgression  cut  as  it  were  a  deeper 
furrow  in  the  heart,  and  secure  a  more  favourable  bed  for  the 
seed  of  the  divine  Word?     Therefore  thus  do  I  also  pray — 

Dead  are  our  hearts,  those  hearts  that  Thine  distress, 

Beloved  Lord,  with  sorrows  numberless  ; 

And  since,  forgiveness  only  can  revive 

The  heart  that's  dead,  do  Thou  my  sins  forgive. 


1  Acts,  XV.  9. 


30  7-  ^^^  many  Things  we  offend. 

Cause  but  one  drop  of  Thy  sweet  grace  to  flow, 
And  oh,  what  beauteous  flowers  responsive  grow ! 
Vouchsafe  this  boon,  for,  Lord,  I  deeply  feel. 
No  balm  hni  grace  for  grace  my  heart  can  heal. 


l> 


In  mang  ^Tj^m^s  iBe  offcntJ. 

A  foul  disease  i7ifects  humanity. 
From  which  One  only  of  the  race  was  free. 

John,  viii.  46,  29  ;  v.  30.  "  Which  of  you  convinceth  me 
of  sin?"  "  And  He  that  sent  me  is  with  me  :  the  Father 
hath  not  left  me  alone;  for  I  do  always  those  things  that 
please  Him."  "  I  can  of  mine  own  self  do  nothing  :  as 
I  hear,  I  judge :  and  my  judgment  is  just ;  because  I 
seek  not  mine  own  will,  but  the  will  of  the  Father  which 
hath  sent  me." 

THERE  can  be  no  stronger  testimony  to  the  fact  that 
human  nature  is  deeply  fallen,  than  to  find,  as  we  do, 
that  in  the  several  thousand  years  during  which  the  world  has 
been  standing,  and  among  the  eight  hundred  millions  of  men 
who  every  thirty  years  die  and  are  replaced  by  new  births, 
there  has  been  but  one  who  could  say  with  truth,  "  Which  of 
you  convinceth  me  of  sin?"  "  I  do  always  those  things  that 
please  the  Father."  Men  are  very  vain ;  they  are  so  fond  of 
saying  about  themselves  more  than  what  is  true,  and  yet  not 
one  of  them  has  ventured  to  say  that.  How  plainly,  then, 
must  our  very  eyesight  teach  us  the  contrary !  And  how  de- 
cidedly does  our  Lord,  by  this  one  saying,  step  out  from  the 
ranks  of  His  brethren  !  When  one  of  us  begins  to  amend  his 
ways,  the  mark  by  which  this  is  always  known  is  the  readiness 


7.  In  many  Things  we  offend.  3 1 

with  which  he  confesses  how  bad  is  his  case.  The  holy- 
apostles  themselves  do  not  conceal  that  they  still  continued 
sinners.  St  Paul  writes,  "  Not  as  though  I  had  already  at- 
tained, either  were  already  perfect ;  but  I  follow  after."  ^  A 
John  declares,  "  If  we  say  that  we  have  no  sin,  we  deceive 
ourselves,  and  the  truth  is  not  in  us."  ^  And  a  James  con- 
fesses, ''  In  many  things  we  offend  all."^  Nor  did  the  blessed 
apostles  spare  each  other,  for  a  Paul  rebukes  a  Peter  "  before 
them  all."^  How  completely  does  the  Saviour  here  step  out 
from  the  ranks  of  all  the  other  children  of  men  ! 

For  myself,  it  is  only  since  His  divine  image  rose  before  my 
soul  that  I  have  properly  learned  what  is  the  true  state  of  man. 
Previously,  I  always  measured  myself  with  the  little,  and  so  ap- 
peared in  my  own  eyes  to  be  great.  Now  I  measure  myself 
with  Him,  and  have  become  very  little  indeed.  When  we  hear 
a  man  who  thoroughly  impresses  us  with  his  modesty  and 
truth  relate  in  plain  and  simple  terms  some  great  thing  which 
he  has  done,  we  always  feel  as  if  we  ourselves  were  thereby 
humbled  ;  and  when  the  Saviour  utters  such  words  as,  "I 
always  do  the  will  of  my  heavenly  Father,"  or,  "  It  is  my 
meat  to  do  the  will  of  Him  that  sent  me," — and  when  I  think 
that  they  are  uttered  by  Him  with  perfect  truth — I  then,  for  the 
first  time,  can  conceive  what  a  creature  made  in  the  image  of 
God  ought  to  be  in  his  Maker's  sight,  and  the  relationship  in 
which  he  ought  to  stand  towards  Him.  Never  before  had  I 
figured  to  myself  the  appearance  of  such  a  human  being.  And 
then  to  think  of  one  so  majestically  great  and  spotlessly  pure 
as  Jesus,  with  humility  so  sincere,  inviting  sinners  to  come  to 
Him.  Oh,  it  is  this  which  so  powerfully  attracts  us  to  His 
heart — brings  us,  we  know  not  how,  under  His  yoke — makes 
us  continually  recall  Him  to  our  thoughts,  and  take  Him  as 
the  mirror  in  which  we  survey  ourselves,  and  learn  thereby  to 
be  more  and  more  ashamed.  Wondrous  is  the  change  we  then 
undergo.     We  become  more  and  more  pure,  and  yet  seem  to 

1  Philip,  iii,  12,  2  j  John,  i.  8. 

3  James,  iii.  2.  4  q^i.  jj,  i^_ 


32  7-  I''^  many  Tilings  we  offend. 

ourselves  more  and  more  sinful.  On  the  lighter  ground  the 
spots  are  better  seen.  The  clearer  the  atmosphere,  the  more 
distinctly  we  perceive  the  outline  of  all  objects.  In  this  way 
I  can  well  figure  to  myself  how  holy  John,  although  he  had 
been  so  long  trained  in  the  Master's  school,  can  yet  in  extreme 
old  age  utter  the  harsh  words,  ''  If  we  say  that  we  have  fellow- 
ship with  Him,  and  walk  in  darkness,  we  lie  and  do  not  the 
truth;"  and  was  yet,  on  the  other  hand,  constrained  to  con- 
fess, ''  If  we  say  we  have  no  sin,  we  deceive  ourselves,  and 
the  truth  is  not  in  us." 

Confession  of  sin  and  repentance  are  generally  very  painful. 
When,  however,  they  proceed  from  the  contemplation  of  one's 
self  in  the  mirror  of  the  Lord's  virtues,  it  seems  as  if  all  the 
harshness  of  repentance  were  taken  away,  so  that  it  ought  no 
longer  to  be  called  by  that  name,  being  rather  a  progressive 
and  ever-growing  sense  of  shame.  When  reproved  by  the  law, 
we  are  thrown  back  upon  ourselves,  and  become  really  har- 
dened ;  but  when  the  Lord  upbraids  us  for  our  faults  by  His 
holy  example,  the  effect  is  rather  to  mollify  and  open  our 
hearts,  and  incline  us  to  surrender  ourselves  to  Him.  It  is 
quite  like  a  mirror  that  reflects  its  brightness,  so  as  to  brighten 
us  when  we  look  into  it,  and  thus  we  are  changed  into  His 
image  from  glory  to  glory.  ^  It  is  as  if  He  every  day  probed 
more  and  more  deeply  into  our  heart  with  the  question, 
"  Lovest  thou  me?"  till  not  a  single  stain  remains. 

Preachers  deal  so  much  in  reproof,  and  teachers  in  exhorta- 
tion to  the  young,  I  am  persuaded  that  if  they  would  only 
present  to  us  a  true  portrait  of  Jesus  in  His  majesty  and  meek- 
ness. His  severity  and  love — if  they  would  but  show  Him  in 
the  depth  of  His  condescension,  poverty,  and  self-abasement 
— it  would  be  the  severest  lecture  which  they  could  address  to 
men,  and  would  make  a  far  deeper  impression  than  any  dis- 
course or  exhortation  of  another  kind.  The  difference  is  like 
that  in  the  fable,  where  the  sun  and  the  tempest  strove  which 
of  them  would  soonest  snatch  away  his  mantle  from  the  tra- 

1  2  Cor.  iii.  i8. 


7-  In  many  Things  we  offend.  3  3 

veller.  In  the  storm,  he  only  clutched  it  convulsively,  and 
wrapped  himself  more  firmly  in  it  than  before;  but  under  the 
gentle  rays  of  the  sun,  he  allowed  it  to  drop.  Upon  myself, 
no  discourse  upon  repentance  makes  so  deep  an  impression  as^ 
when  Christ  is  set  forth  before  my  eyes.  When  I  see  how  in 
all  things  He  seeks  not  His  own  glory,  but  that  of  His  heavenly 
Father,  1  I  am  ashamed  of  my  ambition.  When  I  see  how  He 
came  not  to  be  ministered  unto  but  to  minister,  it  makes  me 
ashamed  of  my  pride.  When  I  see  how  He  took  and  drank 
the  cup  which  His  Father  gave  to  Him,  it  makes  me  ashamed 
of  my  disobedience.  When  I  see  how  He  endured  the  con- 
tradiction of  sinners,  and  when  reviled,  reviled  not  again, ^  it 
makes  me  ashamed  of  my  impatience  and  anger.  In  short,  I 
know  of  no  more  powerful  discourse  upon  repentance,  at  least 
of  none  that  more  melts  and  humbles  me,  than  the  example  of 
my  Saviour.  Luther  speaks  to  the  same  effect  in  words  of 
singular  beauty.  "  Put  ye  07i  the  Lord^  says  the  apostle ;  and 
it  is  a  stirring  word.  For  a  sorry  knave  must  he  be  who  sees 
his  master  fasting  and  suffering  hunger,  toiling,  watching,  and 
enduring  fatigue,  while  he  himself  is  guzzling  and  drinking, 
sleeping,  lounging,  and  living  in  pleasure.  What  master  could 
tolerate  such  behaviour  in  a  servant,  or  what  servant  could 
venture  so  to  behave  ?  The  thing  is  impossible.  It  must  put 
a  man  to  the  blush  when  he  looks  to  Christ  and  finds  so  great 
a  contrast  in  himself.  He  who  is  not  warmed,  admonished, 
and  stimulated  by  Christ's  example,  will  certainly  never  be 
quickened  or  excited  by  anything  else.  Words  will  do  nothing : 
compared  with  that,  they  are  but  as  the  rustling  of  the  leaves 
to  peals  of  thunder." 

It  is  thus,  then,  that  I  pray  to  Him  who  is  the  perfect  pat- 
tern of  all  holiness — 

O  holy  Jesus,  fountain  of  purity  ! 

What  is  the  rock's  clearest  crystal  to  Thee? 


John,  viii.  49,  50.  2  j  Peter,  ii.  23. 


34  8.  He  thatjudgeth  me  is  the  Lord. 

Blessedness  dwells  in  Thy  spotless  light ; 
The  Cherubim's  brightness, 
The  Seraphim's  whiteness, 

Fade  before  Thine  to  the  blackness  of  night. 
My  model  fair  Thou  art, 
Mould  after  Thine  my  heart, 

Jesus,  my  all. 
Lord,  to  Thine  arms  I  flee, 
O  make  me  holy  and  pure  like  Thee. 

O  gentle  Jesus,  how  did  Thy  pliant  will 

Bend  to  the  Father's,  submissive  still ! 

Even  to  the  death  Thou  didst  obey. 
In  that  same  way  incline 
My  heart  and  will  to  Thine. 

Yes,  Lord,  my  self-will  take  and  slay. 
Would  I  were  meek  and  mild, 
Ever  Thy  willing  child, 

Jesus,  my  all. 
Lo,  to  Thine  arms  I  flee. 
Make  me  obedient,  Lord,  like  Thee. 


8. 

i^e  tjfat  jutigetji  me  fg  tje  iLortr. 

A  guiltless  conscience  is  the  best 
Of  cushions  where  the  head  may  rest, 
No  doubt ;  but  when  the  panel's  called 
To  utter  sentence  o?i  his  fault, 
The  trial  finds  a  swift  conclusion. 
And  strong  the  chance  of  absolution. 

I  Cor.  iv.  3,  4.  "  With  me  it  is  a  very  small  thing  that  I 
should  be  judged  of  you,  or  of  man's  judgment  :  yea,  I 
judge  not  mine  own  self.  For  I  know  nothing  by  myself; 
yet  am  I  not  hereby  justified  :  but  He  that  judgeth  me  is 
the  Lord." 

HOW  strange  that  a  man  should  be  his  own  judge  !    How 
marvellous  a  thing  is  conscience  I  There  is  no  one  who 
does  not  shrink  from  inflicting  pain  upon  himself,  and  yet  we 


8.  He  thatjudgeth  me  is  the  Lord.  35 

not  only  judge,  but  we  condemn  ourselves.  Ought  this,  how- 
ever, to  go  so  greatly  against  the  grain,  inasmuch  as  it  is  really 
done,  not  by  our  own  selves,  but  by  another  within  us  ?  It  is 
impossible  that  the  voice  of  conscience  in  man  can  be  his  own. 
Conscience  behaves  to  him  as  a  master  does  to  an  unprofitable 
servant — speaks  to  him  imperatively,  and  often  appears  before 
him  as  an  offended  king  in  his  wrath.  Many  there  are  who 
would  like  to  part  with  it  altogether,  and  think  that  without 
a  conscience  they  could  lead  a  much  more  pleasant  life.  What 
is  the  use  of  it,  they  say,  except  to  fill  the  mind  with  all  kinds 
of  uneasy  thoughts  and  scruples  ?  In  this  case,  however,  it  is 
vain  to  attempt  to  run  away.  Conscience  cleaves  to  us  like 
the  officer  to  the  convicted  criminal,  and  says,  I  had  to  bear 
with  thee,  now  it  is  thy  turn  to  bear  with  me.  It  is  louder 
than  any  thunder ;  and,  again,  its  whisper  is  gentle  and  secret, 
like  the  murmur  of  a  brook  beneath  the  foliage.  It  is  the 
secret  thing  of  which  Job  tells  us  that  it  was  as  an  image  be- 
fore his  eyes,  and  passed  before  his  face  and  made  all  his 
bones  to  shake.  "  Now  a  thing  was  secretly  brought  to  me, 
and  mine  ear  received  a  little  thereof  In  thoughts  from  the 
visions  of  the  night,  when  deep  sleep  falleth  on  men,  fear 
came  upon  me,  and  trembling,  which  made  all  my  bones  to 
shake.  Then  a  spirit  passed  before  my  face;  the  hair  of  my 
flesh  stood  up.  It  stood  still,  but  I  could  not  discern  the 
form  thereof:  an  image  was  before  mine  eyes;  there  was 
silence,  and  I  heard  a  voice  saying,  Shall  mortal  ma7i  be  mo7'e 
iust  than  God?     Shall  a  man  be  more  pure  than  his  Maker  V^ 

Like  care  and  death,  this  secret  thing  has  wings,  and  wan- 
ders through  all  the  earth.  Never  was  heart  of  man  so  tough 
and  close  as  not  to  have  some  chink  or  hole  through  which  it 
could  enter  in.  This  is  true  even  of  the  heathen.  I  am  one 
who  cannot  frown  when  I  see  the  little  dogs  eating  of  the 
crumbs  that  fall  from  their  master's  table.  And  it  delights  my 
very  heart  to  find  that  the  W©rd  which  "  lighteth  every  man 
who  cometh  into  the  world,"  ^  has   also   kindled  some  few 

1  Job,  iv.  12-17.  ^  John,  i.  9. 


36  8.  He  that  jtidgeth  me  is  the  Lord. 

sparks  in  the  hearts  of  the  heathen.  For  I  reflect  on  what  the 
Lord  says,  "Is  thine  eye  evil,  because  I  am  good?"  and  on 
the  question  of  Paul,  "  Is  God  not  also  the  God  of  the  Gen- 
tiles? Yes,  of  the  Gentiles  also."^  Some  altars  are  built  of 
rough  and  unhewn,  and  others  of  polished,  stone.  Some  bear 
the  inscription.  To  the  imk?ioum  God;  others  to  the  know7i. 
My  devotion  warms,  and  good  thoughts  crowd  into  my  mind, 
when  I  read  the  beautiful  testimony  which  one  of  the  sages 
of  ancient  heathenism ^  bears  to  the  conscience.  He  says  : 
"This  is  the  law  which  no  one  can  resist,  of  which  no  par- 
ticular clause  can  be  cancelled,  and  which,  as  a  whole,  can 
never  be  disannulled.  From  it  no  magistracy  upon  earth,  no 
national  decree,  can  give  exemption.  It  needs  no  interpreter, 
and  is  not  one  thing  at  Rome  and  another  at  Athens,  one 
thing  now  and  something  else  hereafter.  It  is  ever  one  and 
the  same,  eternal  and  unalterable,  embracing  all  nations  and 
ages.  And  He  who  is  the  great  Lord  and  Sovereign  of  the 
universe  is  its  maker  and  interpreter.  Whosoever  disobeys  it 
flies  from  himself  and  subverts  his  human  nature,  thereby  un- 
dergoing the  severest  of  all  penalties,  although  he  may  escape 
whatever  else  is  reckoned  penal."  I  have  the  same  feelings 
when  one  of  their  old  poets  ^  speaks  of  the  "  laws  which  de- 
scend from  on  high — which  took  not  their  birth  from  man's 
mortal  nature — which  oblivion  will  never  cover,  and  in  which 
reigns  a  great  God  who  never  grows  old."^ 

When  I  read  such  testimonies  from  the  mouth  of  those 
whom  we  call  the  blinded  heathen,  I  cannot  but  think  that 
Paul's  words  will  one  day  be  fulfilled,  and  that  the  circum- 
cision which  has  hid  its  bright  and  beautiful  light  beneath  a 
bushel,  shall  be  judged  by  the  uncircumcision  which  has  made 
its  little  spark  to  shine  forth  in  so  edifying  a  manner  in  the 
eyes  of  all  the  world. 

I  listen  with  holy  awe  to  witnesses  so  grave  and  reverend  ; 
for,  from  the  forcible  testimony  which  they  bear  to  the  power 

1  Rom.  iii.  29.  2  Cicero. 

3  Sophocles.  *  Rom,  ii.  14,  15,  27. 


I 


8.  He  that  jiidgeth  me  is  the  Lord.  37 

of  conscience  in  the  human  breast,  what  can  be  more  evident 
than  that  it  is  the  cloud  above  the  ark  of  the  covenant,  out  of 
which  the  Lord  of  hosts  Himself  addresses  the  children  of 
men,  and  preaches  to  them  of  truth  and  righteousness  ?  ^     On 
the  other  hand,  how  great  a  contrast  it  seems,  when  a  saint 
like  Paul,  though  conscious  of  nothing  blameworthy  in  his 
conduct,  does  not  on  that  account  reckon  himself  justified, 
and  will  trust  only  to  the  judgment  of  the  Lord!     To  the  same 
effect  the  apostle  John  writes,  "  If  our  heart  condemn  us,  God 
is  greater  than  our  heart,  and  knoweth  all  thrngsT'^     Now, 
doubtless,  it  is  a  weighty  doctrine  that  man  should  yield  his 
entire  confidence  to  no  voice  of  God  other  than  that  which 
addresses   him    from    His   revealed    Word.     For   who   could 
rehearse  all  the  dreadful  extravagances  of  fanaticism,  and  the 
proud  and  foolish  thoughts  into  which  they  who  have  trusted 
solely  to  their  conscience  have  fallen?     The  truth  is,  that 
although  the  voice  of  conscience  be  nothing  else  than  the 
voice  of  the  Lord  of  hosts,  still,  in  order  to  hear  it  aright, 
man  requires  previously  to  possess  a  spiritual  ear,  and  that  is 
a  gift  of  divine  grace  through  the  Holy  Spirit ;  or  it  may  also 
be  said  that  conscience  is  the  handwriting  of  the  Lord,  which 
it  needs  a  spiritual  eye  to  read.     They  have  invented  a  kind 
of  ink  to  write  with,  but  the  writing  does  not  become  visible 
until  subjected  to  a  certain  degree  of  heat.     It  is  the  same 
with  that  law  which  God  has  inscribed  on  the  tablet  of  the 
heart.     So  long  as  the  flesh  attempts,  in  its  own  strength,  to 
read  it,  how  laborious  is  the  task  !     We  cannot  discover  the 
meaning  and  put  into  it  pure  falsehoods.     The  word  becomes 
distinct  and  legible  to  the  reader's  eye  only  when,  through  the 
grace  of  God,  the  fire  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  applied  to  his 
heart.     But,  ah  me  !  when  that  is  done,  how  the  letters  of  the 
writing,  which  was  before  invisible,  begin  to  live  and  stir  !     It 
becomes  bright  and  radiant  to  the  sight,  and  can  no  longer  be 
disputed  away.     Not  without  cause,  therefore,  does  the  apostle 
Paul,  when  wishing  to  lay  special  weight  upon  his  words, 

1  Exod.  xxviii.  30.  ^  i  John,  iii.  20. 


38  8.  Hethatjudgeth  me  is  the  Lord. 

distrust  the  testimony  of  his  weak  human  conscience  and 
prefer  thus  to  write  :  "  I  say  the  truth  in  Christ,  I  lie  not,  my 
conscience  also  bearing  me  witness  in  the  Holy  Ghosts  ^ 

For  how  many  thousand  souls,  especially  in  these  times, 
has  the  Father  of  lies  set  a  fatal  net  and  snare,  by  darkening 
and  hiding  beneath  a  bushel  the  truth  which  is  so  highly 
necessary,  and  so  pre-eminently  important,  for  every  Christian 
to  know ;  I  mean,  the  truth  that  every  conscience  remains  a 
blind  leader  of  the  blind,  so  long  as  it  is  unenlightened  by  the 
Holy  Ghost,  and  has  not  taken  for  its  rule  the  revealed  Word 
of  God  !  It  is  notorious  to  all  the  world  that  the  Father  of  lies 
is  a  great  logician  ;  but  he  is  also,  it  appears,  a  fine  poet,  for 
he  has  composed  many  a  tinselled  proverb,  such  as — 

Hear  St  thou  God's  inward  call  ?  obey,  nor  fear, 
However  high  it  points  thy  bold  career. 

At  last,  however,  it  has  turned  out  that  the  call  came  from  the 
lying  spirit  of  pride.     And  again — 

"  In  the  heart's  longing  know  the  voice  of  fate." 

In  the  end,  however,  the  heart  only  ran  to  where  it  was 
attracted  by  the  lust  of  the  flesh  or  by  mammon.  It  is  thus 
that  Beelzebub  has  got  for  himself  a  court-dress,  that  he  may 
make  his  appearance  in  good  society.  O  foolish  Christians  ! 
if  you  will  not  listen  to  the  wise  Solomon  when  he  tells  you 
that  "  he  that  trusteth  his  own  heart  is  a  fool,"  ^  or  to  the 
Psalmist  when  he  says  that  "  all  men  are  liars,'^  ^  at  least 
attend  to  what  one  of  your  own  prophets  has  most  wisely 
averred  : — 

Not  every  voice,  I  find,  is  to  be  trusted, 
^^    That  whispers  its  monitions  in  the  heart. 
The  lying  spirit,  to  deceive  mankind, 
Oft  feigns  the  accents  of  fair  truth  herself, 
And  scatters  his  false  oracles  around. 

No  doubt  the  old  oracles  cheated  many  a  one,  when  as  yet 

1  Rom.  ix.  T.  2  Prov.  xxviii.  26.  ^  Psalm  cxvi.  11. 


8.  He  thatjudgeth  me  is  the  Lord.  39 

there  was  no  Word  of  God  in  the  world.  The  pity  is  that 
they  should  still  keep  men  in  leading-strings  in  these  days 
when  a  merciful  God  has  vouchsafed  to  us  the  Word  of  truth, 
that  sure  testimony  which  makes  wise  the  simple.^  Ye  great 
saints  who  wear  the  mask  so  well,  and  present  to  yourselves 
so  large  a  register  of  your  virtues,  would  that  God  would  give 
you  grace  to  see  what  manner  of  spirit  it  is  which  scatters  its 
oracles  so  plentifully  in  your  bosom  ;  whether  it  be  the  Spirit 
of  truth,  of  which  it  is  written  that  it  reproves  the  world  of  sin, 
or  the  spirit  of  lies  !  For  myself,  when  I  give  heed  to  what 
my  conscience,  enlightened  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  says,  all  I  can 
hear  is  that  it  rehearses  the  reckoning  which  God  has  written 
out  for  me  in  His  Word,  "Thou  shalt  have  no  other  God 
before  me."  And  then  says  :  "  Lo,  O  man,  this  is  what  thou 
art  bound  to  do.  Thou  oughtest  to  fear,  and  love,  and  honour 
none  but  me.  Thou  oughtest  always  to  put  thy  trust  in  me 
alone,  and  in  every  case  rely  on  my  goodness.  Of  all  this, 
however,  thou  doest  the  contrary.  Thou  art  at  enmity  with 
me.  Thou  lovest  all  other  things  more  than  me.  Thou  dost 
not  believe  in  me  with  thy  whole  heart,  but  art  every  moment 
in  doubt,  and  puttest  thy  confidence  in  other  things." 

Lord  Jesus,  as  my  natural  blindness  is  so  great,  I  implore 
of  Thee  with  my  whole  heart  that  by  Thy  holy  Word  Thou 
wouldst  evermore  kindle  within  me  the  fire  of  Thy  Spirit,  in 
order  that  I  may  more  clearly  recognise  such  parts  of  Thy  law 
as  nature  has  written  in  my  heart.  Keep  me,  gracious  God, 
from  the  temptations  and  seductions  of  my  own  natural  mind, 
and  let  Thy  holy  Word  be  the  sole  light  of  my  feet. 

1  Psalm  xix.  8. 


40  9-  Blessed  is  he  whose  Sin  is  covered. 


BlessctJ  IS  \z  irtjjose  ^\\i  is  cobereti* 

]A/'hoever  would  his  ways  amend, 

Must  first  be  good  within. 
Therefore  thine  utmost  efforts  bend 

To  cleanse  thy  heart  from  sifi. 

Thou  deem' st  good  works  the  proper  plan 

To  make  thee  all  thou  ojighfst  to  be. 
And  so  the  tailor  m.akes  his  man  ; 

But  yet,  my  friend,  I  always  see, 
Unless  a  man  have  other  worth,  that  scarce 
A  fool  will  stop  to  look  what  clothes  he  wears. 

Psalm  xxxii.     A  Psalm  of  David. —  Verse  i.  "  Blessed  is  he 
whose  transgression  is  forgiven,  whose  sin  is  covered." 

LET  other  men  rejoice  in  other  things;  my  joy— a  joy 
which  never  fails — is  this,  that  in  the  sight  of  God  my 
sin  is  covered.  So  long  as  it  remained  uncovered,  I  could 
feel  no  confidence  in  presenting  myself  before  Him.  I  was 
like  one  on  whose  person  vice  had  imprinted  its  mark,  and 
who  is  fain  to  hide  his  face  from  the  public  gaze.  Even  so,  I 
felt  ashamed  to  be  seen  of  God.  To  him  who  knows  how 
great  a  disfiguration  sin  is,  nothing  seems  so  sad  as  to  hear 
men  congratulating  themselves  on  account  of  some  mean  and 
paltry  advantage  they  may  possess,  while  they  are  totally 
unconcerned  about  the  fact  that  "  their  sin  is  not  covered." 

Verses  2-4.  "  Blessed  is  the  man  unto  whom  the  Lord 
imputeth  not  iniquity,  and  in  whose  spirit  there  is  no 
guile.  When  I  kept  silence,  my  bones  waxed  old  through 
my  roaring  all  the  day  long.  For  day  and  niglit  Thy 
hand  was  heavy  upon  me  :  my  moisture  is  turned  into  the 
drought  of  summer." 


9-  Blessed  is  he  whose  Sin  is  covered.  41 

How  true  what  the  Word  of  God  here  avers,  that  he  only 
can  obtain  the  forgiveness  of  his  sin  in  whose  spirit  there  is  no 
guile  !  Never  is  God  gracious  towards  us  until  we  are  sincere 
towards  Him;  and  because,  while  here  on  earth,  it  is  so  hard 
for  us  to  be  sincere,  the  earth  is  full  of  saints  and  heaven  full 
of  sinners.  Not  until  conscience  had  driven  its  sting  deep 
into  his  flesh  did  King  David  summon  up  courage  to  be 
wholly  guileless  towards  himself  and  towards  his  God.  So 
long  as  our  path  is  smooth  we  walk  on  asleep,  and,  like  David, 
many  a  one  needs  a  grievous  fall  to  awake  him  and  push  the 
sting  of  conscience  far  enough  in.  No  doubt,  were  we  to 
judge  from  appearances,  we  might  suppose  that  in  these  days 
of  ours  the  sting  had  been  broken  off  from  the  consciences  of 
men, — all  look  so  gay  and  smiling.  I  suspect,  however,  that 
it  still  wounds  them ;  but  then,  if  I  may  so  speak,  there  is  a 
slow  pain  of  conscience  not  perceived  to  be  what  it  really  is,  but 
which,  nevertheless,  like  other  slow  distempers,  exhausts  the 
strength  far  more  than  any  pain  the  most  acute,  for — 

Not  when  it  pierces  through,  but  when  it  gnaws, 
Does  suffering's  tooth  the  keenest  anguish  cause. 

There  is  a  state  of  mind  in  which  a  man  thinks  nothing 
right,  longs  incessantly  for  change,  and,  because  he  has 
quarrelled  with  himself,  quarrels,  or  at  least  likes  to  quarrel, 
with  all  around  him.  And  what  is  this  but  the  slow  pain  of 
an  evil  conscience,  only  not  understood  to  be  what  it  truly  is  ? 
In  my  own  experience  I  have  known  several  persons  who  in 
this  manner  had  long  been  a  torment  both  to  themselves  and 
others,  but  who,  after  the  morning  star  of  the  Gospel  arose  in 
their  hearts,  discovered  that  all  which  they  had  really  lacked 
was  \X\Q  foj'givejiess  of  their  si?is.  They  now  looked  upon  their 
whole  previous  life  as  a  time  in  which  they  were  labouring  to 
conceal  from  themselves  and  others  a  disease  that  was  preying 
upon  their  vitals.  In  such  a  state  a  man  is  ill  at  ease.  Oh, 
how  often  smiling  countenances  are  but  a  mask  which  conceals 
weeping  hearts,  and  cheerful  looks  a  mere  article  of  dress  put 


42  9-  Blessed  is  he  whose  Sin  is  covered. 

on  when  men  go  into  company,  in  order  afterwards,  when 
again  alone,  to  hear,  in  addition  to  other  reproaches,  that  of 
having  belied  themselves  I  Yes,  "  blessed  indeed  is  the  man  in 
whose  spirit  there  is  no  guile,  and  to  whom  the  Lord  imputeth 
not  his  iniquity."  Lord,  I  will  not  keep  silence  before  Thee : 
oh,  be  not  Thou  silent  to  me  ! 

Verse  5.  "I  acknowledged  my  sin  unto  Thee,  and  mine 
iniquity  have  I  not  hid.  I  said,  I  will  confess  my  trans- 
gressions unto  the  Lord ;  and  Thou  forgavest  the  iniquity 
of  my  sin." 

What  a  moment  is  that  in  which  a  man  for  the  first  time 
hears  and  fully  believes  the  Saviour's  words,  "  Thy  sins  are 
forgiveii  thee  "I  Among  all  by  whom  it  has  been  experienced, 
who  has  a  tongue  sufficiently  eloquent  to  describe  it  to  those 
to  whom  it  is  unknown  ?  It  is  an  exaltation,  it  is  an  abase- 
ment, and,  at  the  same  time,  in  both  a  blessedness  with  which 
no  other  state  can  compare.  Ye  full  and  self-satisfied  souls, 
would  that  you  but  knew  the  full  import  of  the  word  grace — 
grace  without  desert ! 

Oh  what  a  mighty  word  is  grace  ! 

How  soothing  to  the  stricken  heart  ! 
When  dropt  upon  the  wounded  place, 

Like  sovereign  balm  it  heals  the  smart. 
When,  past  a  long  dark  night  of  grief, 
And  tears  and  groanings  for  relief, 
At  last  comes  absolution — 
Oh  what  a  boon  ! 

And  as  we  cannot  say  that  we  already  are,  but  only  that  we 
are  always  becoming,  Christians,  even  so  it  is  with  absolution 
such  as  this.  It  ought  to  serve  as  a  horn  of  salvation,  and 
every  day  afresh  help  to  raise  us  up  and  set  us  on  our  feet. 
Oh  that  the  Holy  Spirit  would  but  show  me  in  its  true  colours 
the  very  slightest  of  my  faults,  that  my  soul  might  take  no  rest 
until  I  have  obtained  forgiveness  !  Never  has  so  mighty  a 
flood  of  inward  strength  caught  and  borne  me  along  on  its 
wave  as  in  those  hours  when,  kneeling  in  the  silence  of  my 


9.  Blessed  is  he  whose  Sin  is  covered.  43 

closet,  I  felt  the  Saviour's  hand  upon  my  head  j  and,  as  the 
best  recompense  of  my  tears,  heard  Him  say — 

From  all  thy  sins  I  thee  absolve. 
Look  on  me,  and  believe  and  rise,  my  son  ; 
Be  of  good  cheer,  gird  up  thy  loins,  and  run. 

Yes ;  though  before  I  had  only  crept,  in  that  hour  I  obtained 
strength  to  run.  Grasping  His  hand — the  beloved  hand  that 
blessed  me — I  vowed  this  vow  in  His  presence — 

Yes,  Saviour,  both  ray  hands  I  give 

To  seal  the  promise  I  renew ; 
I'll  love  Thee  only  v^^hile  I  live. 

And  only  live  to  serve  Thee  too. 

Such  is  the  issue  of  every  fresh  absolution ;  and  thus,  in  the 
school  of  grace,  the  inner  man  really  grows  stronger  and 
stronger,  and  we  learn  the  truth  of  the  words :  "  They  that 
wait  upon  the  Lord  shall  renew  their  strength;  they  shall 
mount  up  with  wings  as  eagles ;  they  shall  run,  and  not  be 
weary ;  and  they  shall  walk,  and  not  faint."  ^ 

No  repentance  is  really  effectual  save  that  which  cheers  ;  for, 
to  weak  and  feeble  man,  what  can  possibly  be  so  invigorating 
as  joy,  especially  a  joy  so  tender,  so  inward,  so  soul-pervading 
as  that  which  flows  from  the  consciousness  of  unmerited  grace  ? 
If,  then,  at  any  time  thy  knees  wax  feeble,  seek  to  imbibe 
strength  from  joy,  and  joy  from  grace. 

Verse  6.  "  For  this  shall  every  one  that  is  godly  pray  unto 
Thee  in  a  time  when  Thou  mayest  be  found :  surely  in 
the  floods  of  great  waters  they  shall  not  come  nigh  unto 
him." 

From  what  source  save  the  firm  assurance  that  we  have  a 
gracious  and  reconciled  God,  can  we  derive  right  confidence 
in  prayer  ?  And  hence  we  find  that  only  holy  men  who  have 
been  justified  by  grace  possess  a  boldness  which  enables  them 
to  hold  free  and  unconstrained  communion  with  God,  as  the 
1  Isa.  xl.  31. 


44  9-  Blessed  is  he  whose  Sin  is  covered. 

child  does  with  its  mother.  In  such  famihar  intercourse  they 
so  wholly  disburden  their  hearts  of  cares  and  doubts,  that  the 
water-floods  of  affliction,  in  which  so  many  struggle  and  some 
even  perish,  do  not  come  nigh  unto  them.  A  gracious  God 
can  confer  only  graces  ;  and  therefore  he  who  has  found  a 
gracious  God  thenceforth  receives  from  Him  nothing  else  but 
grace,  through  the  medium  of  all  created  things,  and  in  seasons 
of  prosperity  and  adversity  alike.  As  a  mother  gives  the 
breast  to  her  babe,  so  to  such  a  soul  does  God,  in  all  creatures 
and  in  all  events  of  life,  present  a  breast  from  which  it  can 
imbibe  spiritual  nourishment;  and  he  who  has  advanced  so 
far  is  for  ever  beyond  the  reach  of  the  water-floods. 

O  Lord,  I  will  not  conceal  that  I  have  not  honoured  Thee  as 
I  ought  to  have  done.  Alas  !  never  have  I  so  honoured  Thee 
all  my  life.  As  I  did  not  acknowledge  Thine  absolute  sover- 
eignty over  me,  so  neither  for  that  reason  did  I  appreciate  Thy 
grace.  I  underlie  the  curse  of  a  disobedient  and  perpetually 
stubborn  heart,  that  would  fain  always  walk  in  its  own  ways. 
How  ashamed  I  would  be  were  other  men  to  see  my  heart  as 
Thou  seest  it !  and  yet,  O  my  God,  I  am  not  ashamed  before 
Thee!  I  pass  my  life  unable  to  elude  the  conviction  that  in 
almost  all  I  purpose  and  perform,  I  study  solely  to  serve  my- 
self^ and  yet  Thou  art  my  Lord,  and  alone  art  able  to  do  with 
me  what  Thou  wilt,  seeing  that  I  am  the  work  of  Thy  hand. 
If  such  be  the  tenor  of  my  life,  what  wonder  that  my  heart  is 
never  tranquil  ?  for  who  can  be  at  rest  who  is  at  enmity  with 
God  ?  So  long  as  I  keep  silence,  anathema  is  upon  me.  I 
will  speak — yea,  unto  Thee  will  I  speak,  O  my  God,  and  pour 
out  my  whole  heart  before  Thee  !  If  washed  with  mine  own 
hands,  I  only  soil  myself  anew.  Do  Thou  wash  me — yea, 
wash  me  every  morning  afresh  ! 

Wash  me  each  morn  afresh  in  Thy  bright  flood, 

Fountain  of  Golgotha,  for  while  I  groan 
Beneath  unpardoned  sin's  oppressive  load, 

I  feel  my  spirit  sink,  my  vigour  gone ; 
But  oh,  what  life  through  all  my  being  streams. 
When  grace  bedews  afresh  my  wearied  limbs  ! 


lo.  Christ  zvas  set  forth  to  be  a  Propitiation.       45 

There  can  be  no  amendment  without  grace, 

No  rising  up  till  God  forgives  the  fall. 
The  flood  of  mercy  must  old  scores  efface, 

And  in  oblivion's  ocean  whelm  them  all. 
What  soldier  e'er  with  heart  the  fight  renewed. 
When  foes  behind  were  left  still  unsubdued  ? 

And  ask  you  why  this  goodly  fountain  lies 

Lonely  and  unfrequented  by  the  crowd  ? 
It  is  because  whoe'er  approaches,  spies 

His  image  mirrored  on  the  crystal  flood. 
He  cannot  else  be  healed  ;  but  with  dismay 
That  sight  the  crowd  behold  and  haste  away. 


Cl^rist  irras  set  fort]^  to  be  a  Propitiation. 

Mine  was  the  burden  which  my  Saviour  bore, 

Romans,  iii.  24-26.  "Being  justified  freely  by  His  grace 
through  the  redemption  that  is  in  Christ  Jesus  :  whom 
God  hath  set  forth  to  be  a  propitiation  through  faith  in 
His  blood,  to  declare  His  righteousness  for  the  remission 
of  sins  that  are  past,  through  the  forbearance  of  God ;  to 
declare  at  this  time  His  righteousness  :  that  He  might  be 
just,  and  the  justifier  of  him  which  believeth  in  Jesus." 

Psalm  cxi.  4.  "  He  hath  made  His  wonderful  works  to  be 
remembered:  the  Lord  is  gracious,  and  full  of  compassion." 

"  /^"^OME  hither  with  your  tongues  and  pens,"  exclaims 
V_/  Luther,  "  all  ye  that  have  them  ;  sing  and  play  all  ye 
that  can,  that  so  we  may  in  some  small  degree  comprehend 
the  import  of  these  words."  Oh,  how  nobly  and  benignly 
they  are  spoken  for  poor  and  disconsolate  sinners,  and  for  con- 
sciences that  are  wounded  and  afraid  !  Here  we  are  told  that, 
now  since  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  has  interposed,  we  can  come 


46        10.  Christ  was  set  forth  to  be  a  Propitiation. 

boldly  to  our  God  as  His  children  and  heirs.  A  memorial 
has  been  erected  which  proclaims  from  eternity  to  eternity  the 
wonders  of  His  compassion.  Oh  for  a  voice  to  sing  aloud 
until  the  very  firmament  shall  ring — 

Peace,  peace,  an  everlasting  peace, 
Discord  shall  now  for  ever  cease  ! 

Alas  !  how  seldom  in  these  poor  days   of  ours  do  we  hear 
such  joyful  exclamation  bursting  from  the  hearts  of  exulting 
Christians  !     It  is  enough  to  make  one  weep  to  see  so  many 
precious  gifts  of  God  lying  neglected  and  despised,  and  none 
caring  to  use  them  with  thankfulness  and  praise.     But  what  is 
that  compared  with  the  pang  which  wrings  the  heart  when  we 
think  that  God  has  torn  from  His  bosom  His  darling,  His  only 
child  and  dearest  life,  and  delivered  Him  up  for  sin ;  and  yet 
that  men  despise  even  so  divine  a  gift  ?     In  Israel,  the  mercy- 
seat  was  erected  upon  the  Hd  of  the  ark  of  the  covenant — that 
ark  in  which  was  contained  the  covenant  law,  so  often  broken 
by  the  many  transgressions  of  the  people  3  and  yet  even  there 
had  their  gracious  and  merciful  God  set  up  a  memorial,  and 
accepted  the  blood  of  the  sin-offering  when  sprinkled  upon  it, 
covering  in  this  manner  with  the  shadow  of  His  grace  the  vio- 
lated law  and  all  its  threatenings  against  transgressors.     But 
oh,  how  much  better  is  that  which  the  Lord,  gracious  and  full 
of  compassion,   has   provided   for   its  !'^     Theirs   was  but  a 
^'shadow  of  good  things  to  come  ;''^  ours  is  the  living  mercy-seat 
which  He  has  now  erected  on  Golgotha  and  Gethsemane,  and 
from  which  there  is  a  direct  way  to  the  sanctuary  of  His  heart ! 
How  is  it  possible  for  men  to  pass  by  this  mercy-seat  and 
for  a  moment  entertain  the  thought  that  it  is  a  mere  useless 
ornament  to  the  sanctuary?     Yes,  a  mere  ornament  it  may 
appear  to  them  so  long  as  they  have  yet  to  cross  the  threshold 
within  which  alone  it  can  be  rightly  seen.     The  mercy-seat  of 
the  New  Testament  is  indeed  a  mere  ornament — a  carved 
work  of  cedar — until  a  man  has  been  brought  to  concede  the  right 
1  Heb.  xi.  40.  2  Heb.  x.  i. 


10.  Christ  was  set  forth  to  be  a  Propitiation.       47 

of  God  to  condemn  hi^n  ;  in  other  words,  so  long  as  he  draws 
near  with  any  sort  of  advantage  which  he  counts  his  own. 
None  can  possibly  behold  its  glory  unless  they  be  naked  and 
bare.  There  is  a  strait  gate  to  be  passed  on  the  way  to  it, 
and  outside  of  this  lie  heaps  of  counterfeit  pearls,  robes  of  false 
silk  and  embroidery  of  tinsel ;  because  they  who  enter  must 
leave  behind  them  all  things  they  count  their  own,  and  so  the 
more  of  these  they  have  to  take  off,  the  longer  they  are  in 
passing  through.  There  is  a  true  and  pleasant  story  told  of 
one  of  those  who  are  wont  to  array  themselves  largely  with  the 
robes  of  self-righteousness.  He  had  deeply  lamented  over  a 
brother,  who  was  a  true  child  of  God,  but  whom,  as  one  who 
had  abjured  all  personal  merit,  he  regarded  as  a  mean  fellow, 
while  fancying  himself  to  be  eminently  holy  and  good.  To 
this  person  divine  grace  vouchsafed  a  dream.  It  seemed  to 
him,  as  he  slept,  that  he  looked  through  a  narrow  door  and 
saw  his  brother,  who  had  meanwhile  departed  this  life  in  peace, 
seated  at  table  with  all  the  saints  in  a  great  and  beautiful 
hall.  Not  a  little  surprised,  he  made  haste  to  enter  the  door, 
in  order  if  still  possible  to  uproot  the  tare  that  had  crept  in 
among  the  wheat.  But  mark  what  happened.  The  strait 
door  became  ever  straiter  and  straiter  about  him,  and  he  was 
obliged  to  put  off  every  article  of  dress,  one  after  another,  un- 
til nothing  was  left  but  a  single  silken  napkin  of  great  worth, 
which  he  had  wrapped  about  his  body.  Oh  then,  what  striv- 
ing and  straining  there  was  to  take  this  precious  article  inside 
along  with  him  !  But  all  his  efforts  were  vain,  until  he  left  it 
behind  :  and  only  when  he  had  stripped  himself  perfectly  bare 
could  he  force  his  way  through.  On  awakening  he  made  the 
dream  a  subject  of  serious  reflection,  and  subsequently  the 
grace  of  God  changed  his  heart.  O  my  fellow-men,  ye  who 
have  never  yet  been  able  to  see  the  mercy-seat  in  its  glory,  is 
it  not  because  such  silken  napkins  are  too  common  among  you  ? 
Ah  me  !  how  stoutly  men  resist  before  they  can  be  brought 
to  divest  themselves  of  all  that  is  their  own  !  I  did  so  myself, 
O  Lord ;  I  resisted  when  Thy  law  proclaimed  that  the  "  Lord 


48        10.  Christ  was  set  forth  to  be  a  Propitiation. 

is  a  holy  and  a  jealous  God.  He  will  not  forgive  your  trans- 
gressions nor  your  sins."^    I  would  not  submit  to  be  condemned. 
In  my  heart,  however,  Thy  Spirit  has  affixed  His  seal  to  the 
testimony  of  the  letter  of  Thy  law,  so  that  I  cannot  contend 
with  Thee,  and  must  acknowledge  the  justice  of  Thy  sentence. 
Behold,  then,  I  confess  that  it  is  wholly  just.     For  even  wert 
Thou  in  Thy  wrath  to  destroy  me,  I  should  be  compelled  to 
say,  "  Yea,  surely  God  will  not  do  wickedly,  neither  will  the 
Almighty  pervert  judgment." ^     O  Lord,  like  Job,  I  have  ven- 
tured to  dispute  with  Thee,  and  to  say,  "  Oh  that  one  would 
hear   me  !     Behold,   my  desire    is,  that  the  Almighty  would 
answer  me,  and  that  mine  adversary  had  written  a  book;"^ 
for  while  I  seemed  righteous  in  my  own  cause,  Thy  judgments 
were  too  heavy  for  me,  I  could  not  bear  them.     But  Thou, 
"  who  with  rebukes  dost  correct  man  for  iniquity,  and  makest 
his  beauty  to  consume  away  like  a  moth,""^  hast  tried  my  reins 
in  the  night  season,  chastened  my  heart  by  Thy  Spirit,  and  set 
my  secret  sin  before  mine  eyes,  so  that  I  was  constrained  to 
confess  with  Job,  "  I  abhor  myself,  and  repent  in  dust  and 
ashes." ^     Yes,  Thou  God  of  justice,  /  acknowledge  myself  to 
be  guilty  in  Thy  sight,  and  "that  it  is  the  foolishness  of  a  man 
which  perverteth  his  way,  and  his  heart  fretteth  against  the 

Lord."*^ 

That  Thou  sxtjust  in  all  Thy  ways, 
None  of  Thy  servants,  Lord,  gainsays. 
Though  hyj  Thy  terrible  award 
Down  to  the  burning  gulf  I'm  thrust. 
My  voice  shall  'midst  the  flames  be  heard 
Proclaiming,  "  This  7ny  doo7n  is  just." 
Yet,  Lord,  to  make  Thy  glory  known, 
By  acts  severely  just  alone. 
Were  little  for  a  God  hke  Thee. 
Thy  matchless  greatness  to  express. 
Transcendent  King  !  \&\.  mercy  ho. 
The  partner  of  Thy  righteousness. 

And   this   hast   Thou    done — Thou  hast   fed  the   hungry, 

1  Josh.  xxiv.  19.  ^Job,  xxxiv,  12.  ^Job,  xxxi.  35. 

4  Psalm  xxxix.  11.  ^Job,  xlii.  6.  ^  Prov.  xix.  3. 


10.  Christ  was  set  forth  to  be  a  Propitiation.        49 

Thou  hast  given  drink  to  them  that  were  athirst,  and  clothed 
the  naked.  Yes  \  when  I  appeared  all  naked  in  Thy  sight, 
how  rich  and  beautiful  were  the  garments  with  which  Thou 
didst  clothe  me  !  O  blessed  Jesus,  so  close  is  the  fellowship 
into  which  Thou  hast  entered  with  man,  that  to  Thyself,  from 
us  on  whom  they  lay.  Thou  hast  transferred  all  the  penalties 
of  transgression,  and  instead  hast  given  to  us  Thyself  with  all 
Thy  purity  and  holiness  to  be  possessed  as  our  own.  Sin, 
death,  and  Satan,  to  harm  me  now  is  beyond  your  power. 
Henceforward  you  have  to  do  with  one  who  is  stronger  than  I, 
for  I  am  my  Lord's. 

O  wounded  head  !  with  thorns  so  vilely  crowned, 
Since  Thou  Thyself  so  close  to  man  hast  bound. 
That  all  of  Thine  to  me  no  less  pertains, 

No  human  tongue  can  well  express, 

No  human  fancy  rightly  guess, 
The  strength  which  from  the  head  the  member  gains. 

I  have  part  in  the  anguished  sweat  of  Gethsemane,  and  in 
the  sacred  blood  that  was  shed  on  Golgotha.  I  have  part  in 
the  cry,  "I  thirst;*'  and  in  the  appeal,  "My  God,  my  God, 
why  hast  Thou  forsaken  me?"  Mine  is  Thy  descent  into 
hell,  and  mine  Thine  ascension  into  heaven';  for  have  we  not 
been  made  "  members  of  His  body,  of  His  flesh,  and  of  His 
bones  ".?i  To  the  natural  mind,  no  doubt,  it  seems  to  pass 
all  bounds  of  belief  that  one  who  but  a  little  ago  was  sunk  so 
deep  in  hell,  should  at  once  be  admitted  into  heaven,  and 
take  a  seat  at  table  with  Him  who  is  the  eternal  God  and 
Sovereign  of  the  universe.  But  faith  is  not  the  business  of  the 
flesh.  It  is  the  work  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  by  which  "  the  love 
of  God  is  shed  abroad  in  our  hearts." ^  "It  seems,"  says 
Luther,  "  quite  incredible  to  the  conscimce.  Conscience  takes 
upon  it  to  condemn  all  my  good  works,  and  all  my  own 
righteousness  in  the  sight  of  God :  but  I  can  say  to  it  I  have 
none  of  either ;  for  who  can  pluck  hair  from  the  palm  of  his 
hand,  or  pay  money  from  an  empty  purse  ?  All  that  is  good 
1  Eph.  V.  30.  ^  Rom.  V.  5. 

D 


50        lo.  Christ  was  set  forth  to  be  a  Propitiation. 

and  holy  about  me  belongs  to  my  Master.  If,  again,  con- 
science accuses  me  of  si7i,  I  reply.  Neither  have  I  any  of  that, 
for  Christ  has  taken  and  carried  it  away.  O  conscience  !  thine 
accusing  office  is  gone,  if  so  be  that  thou  makest  other  charge 
or  complaint  against  me  save  this  alone,  that  I  do  not  suffi- 
ciently embrace  the  Lord  Jesus,  who  is  now  my  righteousness 
and  my  life.  They  tell  us  of  a  poor  fellow  who  one  night 
caught  a  thief  in  his  house,  and  mocked  him,  saying.  What  a 
fool  thou  must  be  to  fancy  that  in  a  dark  night  thou  couldst 
find  anything  where  I  myself  can  find  nothing  in  the  light  of 
day  !  Even  so  the  believer  who  has  no  longer  either  sin  or 
holiness  of  his  own  answers,  when  the  accuser  stands  up 
against  him  :  Here  there  is  nothing  to  find  but  Christ  alone." 

Beloved  Master !  now  that  by  Thy  precious  blood  Thou 
hast  become  such  a  mercy-seat  for  me,  I  hear  a  voice  which  from 
dawn  till  eve  resounds  from  it  and  says.  This  I  did  for  thy  sake, 
what  doest  thou  for  mine  ?  Oh,  how  strong  is  the  bond  of 
affection  which  such  blood-besprinkled  love  winds  around  the 
lover  and  the  loved  !  How  many  millions  have  already  loved 
Thee  with  a  purity  of  affection  which  far  excels  that  of  child 
or  woman,  so  that  in  a  moment  they  would  have  gladly  sacri- 
ficed their  life  for  Thine  !  As  Thou  hast  thus  given  Thyself  to 
me,  and  become  mine,  what  other  return  can  I  make  than  to 
give  myself  to  Thee,  and  become  Thine  ?  Yes,  Jesus,  me  also 
Thou  mayest  now  take  and  use  as  Thou  wilt. 

He  is  mine,  and  His  am  I, 

Bound  by  an  everlasting  tie. 

For  since  He  gave 

Himself  to  death 

My  soul  to  save, 

For  Him  I'll  live,  for  Him  resign  my  breath. 

But  couldst  Thou  possibly  have  knit  Thy  followers  to  Thee 
by  a  bond  of  love  so  strong  if  Thou  hadst  appeared  among  us, 
as  some  will  have  it.  Thou  didst  appear,  solely  as  a  Teacher  ? 
If  in  place  of  taking  upon  Thee  our  poor  flesh  and  blood,  with 
all  the  bitter  pains  of  death  to  boot,  Thou  hadst  come  amongst 
us  as  a  blessed  Spirit,  and  again  departed  as  such,  without  leav- 


1 1.   TJie  Lords  Love  is  everlasting.  5 1 

ing  behind  Thee  to  Thy  friends  anything  but  Thy  words — O 
Lord,  forgive  me  for  saying  it,  beautiful  are  Thy  words,  yea  of 
surpassing  beauty,  but  still  more  beautiful  are  Thy  works  ! — in 
that  case,  no  doubt,  we  might  have  gazed  after  Thee  into  Thy 
heaven  of  glory ;  but  ah  !  our  hearts  would  have  lingered  here 
on  earth.  Oh,  if  even  among  us  men  it  is  only  the  love  that 
makes  a  sacrifice  that  begets  a  true  affection,  surely  none  can 
doubt  that  only  upon  a  blood-besprinkled  path  could  we  have 
found  an  entrance  into  Thy  heart,  and  that  only  a  crucified 
love  could  have  riveted  the  hearts  of  men  so  closely  to  itself. 

What  loathsome  body's  this  that  meets  my  gaze  ? 
A  foul  disease  on  all  the  members  preys  ; 
None  of  them  can  or  help  or  heal  the  rest, 
With  its  own  ills  opprest. 

It  is  humanity,  and,  dismal  plight  ! 
Without  a  head  it  lies,  and  shocks  the  sight : 
The  anguished  cry  for  succour  never  ceases, 
Yet  still  the  plague  increases. 

But  lo  !  a  glorious  Head  from  heaven  descends, 
Whom  neither  sore  nor  putrid  breath  offends  ; 
His  heart  on  vi^hat  v^^as  sick  He  sets,  and  it 
To  His  own  self  doth  knit. 

Yes, — dearly  has  the  Head  the  body  loved, 
Sickness  and  death  from  every  limb  removed ; 
With  vigour  from  His  own  the  faint  imbued, 
The  dead  with  life  renewed. 


11. 

W^z  Horti's  3L0be  is  eberlastmg. 

In  all  that  me  befell  since  life  began, 

I  now  can  trace  a  thread  which  jnercy  span. 

Jer.  xxxi.  3.  "  The  Lord  hath  appeared  of  old  unto  me, 
saying.  Yea,  I  have  loved  thee  with  an  everlasting  love  : 
therefore  with  loving-kindness  have  I  drawn  thee." 


52  II.    The  L 07' d 's  Love  is  everlasting. 

WHEN  we  have  come  to  understand  the  reason  why  we 
live,  and  distinctly  perceive  the  end  and  aim  of  ex- 
istence here  on  earth,  it  is  a  pleasant  task  to  trace  back  the 
path  by  which  the  divine  goodness  conducted  us,  and  to  ob- 
serve that  it  was  all  wisdom  and  all  love.  The  great  majority 
of  the  race  never  think  of  inquiring  what  is  man's  chief  end  ; 
and  they  who  do,  make  the  inquiry  so  difficult  to  themselves, 
pore  over  it  so  long,  use  all  manner  of  optical  instruments, 
which  only  confound  plain  common-sense  ;  and  yet  the  truth 
lies  within  their  reach,  and  is  evident  to  view.  If,  then,  there 
be  few  who  succeed  in  finding  it,  although  the  Bible  declares  that 
-"  God  layeth  up  sound  wisdom  for  the  sincere^'^  the  number  of 
those  who  are  sincere  towards  themselves  must  be  small.  And 
true  it  is  that  men  do  lie  to  themselves  ;  nor  of  the  lies  they 
tell  is  there  any  more  manifest  than  when  they  affirm,  as  they 
are  always  doing,  that  the  purpose  for  which  they  are  here  is 
to  work  for  others.  No  one,  however,  can  work  for  others 
except  in  so  far  as  he  has  himself  experienced  a  work  of  God. 
"s^  O  ye  hypocrites  !  how  can  you  really  love  others,  seeing  you 
have  so  little  love  for  yourselves .?  You  do  not  love  them. 
What  you  love  is  your  own  life,  or,  as  the  poet  calls  it,  the 
pleasing  habit  of  existing  and  acting. 

Full  many  a  day  and  many  a  weary  night, 

With  busy  zeal  you  toiled  to  chase  away  ; 
And  mirthful  stories  heard  and  told  which  might 

Beguile  the  sense  of  lagging  time's  delay. 

And  was  this  wrong  ?  you  ask,  and  boldly  show 

Your  reckoning  to  the  world's  great  Judge  and  Lord, 

Appealing  to  His  justice  to  bestow 
On  virtue  so  severe  its  due  reward. 

Ye  fools  !  how  will  the  hearts  within  you  die, 
When  from  the  mouth  that  never  speaks  in  vain, 

The  irrevocable  sentence  forth  shall  fly, 

Your  due  reward  was  given  you,  why  complain? 


English  version  righteous,  Prov. 


1 1.   The  Lord's  Love  is  everlasting.  53 

Play  was  the  good  supreme  your  heart  desired, 

And  to  the  full  you  had  it  all  your  days  ; 
But  now,  behold,  the  term  for  play  expired, 

Eternity  its  awful  scenes  displays. 

Is  it  any  wonder,  then,  that  having  nothing  but  working, 
and  working  for  others,  solely  and  continually  before  their 
eye,  men  should  complain  in  their  delusion  "that  God  hedges 
up  their  way  with  thorns,"^  that  He  has  tied  their  hands,  that 
they  are  living  in  vain,  being  forced  to  stand  idle  in  the  mar- 
ket-place ?  Why  is  it  that  in  this  particular  instance  they 
forget  what  in  others  they  remember  so  well,  that  every  man' s 
neaj-est  neighbour  is  himself^  In  fact,  the  widest  field  for 
active  exertion  is  that  which  is  closest  to  us,  and  lies  in  our 
own  bosoms.  Even  a  whole  lifetime  spent  upon  a  sick-bed 
gives  the  amplest  scope  for  activity.  Let  a  man  have  come  to 
see  that  the  grand  object  in  life  is  to  spend  its  brief  span  in 
becoming  a  tree  in  the  garden  of  God,  verdant  with  foliage, 
and  loaded  with  all  the  noble  graces  called  by  St  Paul  "  the 
fruit  of  the  Spirit,"  which  are  "  love,  joy,  peace,  long-suffering, 
goodness,  faith,  meekness,  and  temperance,"^ — I  repeat,  he 
who  has  come  to  see  this,  will  find  in  every  situation  of  life  a 
noble  sphere  for  exertion. 

When  by  the  help  of  grace,  however,  this  'discovery  has 
been  made,  the  man  then  learns  also  to  see  a  plan  and  pur- 
pose in  the  whole  course  of  his  life,  and  at  each  new  stage  of 
it  sees  this  more  and  more  clearly.  As  we  advance  in  years, 
it  is  as  if  we  were  ascending  a  terraced  height  from  every 
higher  elevation  of  which  our  view  becomes  more  comprehen- 
sive, and  all  the  objects  it  embraces  seem  more  connected 
with  each  other.  And  oh  what  a  prospect  it  will  be  at  last, 
when,  having  reached  the  summit, we  can  overlook  the  whole! 

"  The  Lord  hath  appeared  of  old  unto  me.""  O  Lord,  under  how 
manifold  and  various  disguises,  and  upon  how  many  different 
paths,  one  after  another,  hast  Thou  gone  forth  to  meet  me  in 
order  that  perchance  mine  eye  might  recognise  and  my  heart 
might  find  Thee  !  Many  a  time,  like  the  disciples  of  Emmaus. 
1  Hos.  ii.  6.  2  Gal  v.  22. 


54  II.   The  Lords  Love  is  everlasting. 

I  felt  my  heart  burning  within  me,  and  yet  my  eye  was  holden 
that  I  knew  Thee  not.  Now,  however,  I  know  Thee  under  all 
disguises,  now  I  see  Thee  upon  every  way.  Yes,  it  is  a  bless- 
ing to  have  been  bred  within  the  precincts  of  the  Christian 
Church — a  blessing  even  in  our  own  days,  when  the  walls  of 
Zion  are  so  sadly  broken  down.  When  I  look  back  in  thought, 
oh  how  many  impressions  of  the  Spirit  of  Christ  I  have,  as  it 
were,  unconsciously  and  involuntarily  received  !  In  fact  I 
can  say  that  His  maternal  bosom  began  to  give  me  spiritual 
nourishment  almost  as  soon  as  that  of  my  mother  to  nourish 
me  bodily.  The  prayers  my  parents  taught  me,  the  example  of 
many  pious  men,  all  I  learned  of  the  history  of  the  Church  of 
Christ,  the  religious  instruction  I  received,  the  many  sermons 
I  heard,  and  the  manners  of  the  Christians  with  whom  I  lived, 
— all  these  exercised  their  influences  upon  me  j  and  when  at 
last,  oh  Love  eternal.  Thou  didst  actually  take  me  to  Thy  heart, 
and  I  gazed  upon  Thee  face  to  face,  then  were  all  these  several 
beams  of  love  condensed  into  one,  and  the  light  which  fell  upon 
the  present  illumined  to  me  also  the  past  and  the  future. 

Judging  from  my  own  experience,  I  am  disposed  to  believe 
that  in  the  life  of  every  man  there  are,  before  conversion, 
many  more  traces  of  Christian  grace  than  he  himself  knows  or 
imagines.  It  is  as  with  the  light  which  exerts  upon  us  a 
quickening  influence,  though  we  do  not  observe  whence  the 
quickening  comes.  It  is  as  if  we  then  saw  the  Saviour  through 
a  veil,  and  all  that  conversion  does  is  to  take  the  veil  away. 
We  may  possibly  have  doubts  about  a  truth  which  yet  we 
cannot  deny,  and  may,  as  the  apostle  expresses  it,  be  appre- 
hended of  Christ,  without  our  appreheiidiiig  Him.  There  is  a 
precursory  grace  which  penetrates  and  takes  hold  of  a  man 
without  his  being  aware  of  it.  And  so  it  was,  O  my  God, 
that  when  as  yet  I  knew  Thee  not.  Thou  didst  with  "  loving- 
kinduess  draw  vie  to  Thee.^^ 

O  Love  eternal,  who  Thy  depths  can  sound  ? 

Ages  before  my  mind  on  Thee  could  think, 

Ages  before  my  heart  in  Thee  could  sink, 
Thy  holy  effluence  compassed  me  around. 


II.   The  Lord' s  Love  is  everlasting.  55 

Who  can  Thy  depths  explore,  O  Love  divine  ? 
As  gently  and  mysteriously  the  light 
Falls  on  the  suckling's  eyes,  unused  to  sight, 

So  didst  Thou  enter  this  cold  heart  of  mine. 

"  Thou  hast  loved  me  with  an  everlastijtg  love"  for  Thy  love 
is  older  than  my  life.  Thou  didst  love  me  before  I  existed, 
for  it  was  because  Thou  didst  love  me  that  I  now  exist.  Be- 
fore the  world  was  created  Thou  didst  call  me  by  name,  and 
Thou  didst  create  the  world  with  an  eye  to  me,  the  poorest  of 
Thy  children,  in  order  that,  along  with  all  the  millions  who  at 
my  side  advance  to  the  goal  of  consummation,  I  too  might 
find  a  path  to  conduct  me  to  the  same.  Oh  what  confidence, 
what  fortitude,  what  magnanimity  are  inspired  by  the  thought 
that  I  too  was  thought  of  in  this  world  of  God,  and  that  for 
me,  among  the  rest,  it  was  prepared  !  Brave  and  determined 
does  the  soldier  enter  the  conflict  when  he  knows  for  certain 
that  the  general  whose  eye  surveys  the  field  has  reckoned 
upon  him  also  being  at  his  post.  Even  though  he  fall,  he 
knows  he  is  in  his  right  place.  Like  him,  I  too  know  that 
He,  whose  eye  of  affection  overlooks  the  universe,  has  as- 
signed to  me  my  station,  and  traced  out  for  me  my  path. 
Onwards  I  march  through  perpetual  vicissitudes  of  brightness 
and  gloom,  and  the  issue  is  as  yet  hidden  from  my  view.  But 
the  eye  that  knows  no  change,  beholds  it  from  eternity  to 
eternity  in  a  light  that  is  ever  the  same. 

"  Who7n  He  did  forehiow^  He  also  did  predestinate  to  be  con- 
formed to  the  image  of  His  Son;  moreover^  whom  He  did  predes- 
tinate^ them  He  also  called ;  and  who7fi  He  called,  them  He  also 
justified ;  and  whom  He  justified,  them  He  also  glorified.  Who 
shall  be  able  to  separate  us  from  the  love  of  God,  which  is  in  Christ 
Jesus  our  LordV'^  Away  from  earth,  O  my  spirit !  Away 
from  this  sojourn  in  dim  twilight  where  nothing  is,  but  all  is 
in  the  act  of  being  !  Sink  into  thy  source.  Before  that  never- 
changing  eye,  which  across  the  flight  of  ages  beholds  the  con- 
summation of  all  things.  Thou  also  dost  stand  made  perfect. 

1  Rom.  viii.  29,  30,  39. 


56  12.  I  resisted  ignorantly  in  Unbelief. 

Yes  !  before  that  eye  I  am  already  justified,  sanctified,  and 
glorified.  Already  does  the  crown  adorn  my  brow,  though 
here  I  still  bear  the  cross.  What  is  faith  ?  Is  it  not  the  eye 
that  sees  the  invisible  things  ?  Is  it  not  the  anchor  that  enter- 
eth  into  that  within  the  veilP^ 

All  this  hast  Thou  done  in  lovhig-kijidness  alone.  What 
else,  indeed,  could  have  been  Thy  motive,  seeing  that  Thy 
love  is  older  than  my  life  ?  As  Thou  hast  first  given  to  us 
whatever  we  can  give  thee  back  in  return,^  so  likewise  are  all 
the  ways  by  which  Thou  hast  led  us  loviftg-ki?idness,  and 
nothing  else. 

Even  now,  my  soul,  see  thy  salvation  wrought, 
Thy  sorrow  turned  away,  thy  battle  fought ; 
Even  now  in  spirit  the  Saviour's  throne  thou  sharest, 
Even  now  in  spirit  the  crown  of  glory  wearest. 

Offspring  of  time,  ye  fleeting  cares,  adieu  ! 
To-morrow,  yesterday,  I've  done  with  you  ; 
In  vast  eternity's  domain  I  live, 
Where  God  to  me  will  bhss  eternal  give. 


( 


12. 

31  r£0fst£ti  tcfnorantlg  in  W^vi^zlizt 

Why  art  Thou  not  by  all  adored  f 
Because  they  do  not  know  Thee,  Lord. 
Hadst  Thou  to  me  Thy  beauties  shown, 
Thee,  Thee  I  would  have  loved  alotie. 

Tim.  i.  12-14.  "I  thank  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord,  who 
hath  enabled  me,  for  that  He  counted  me  faithful,  putting 
me  into  the  ministry ;  who  was  before  a  blasphemer,  and 
a  persecutor,  and  injurious  :  but  I  obtained  mercy,  be- 

1  Heb.  vi.  19,  2  Rom.  xi.  35. 


12.  I  resisted  ignorantly  in  U^ibelief.  57 

cause  I  did  it  ignorantly  in  unbelief.  And  the  grace  of 
our  Lord  was  exceeding  abundant  with  faith  and  love 
which  is  in  Christ  Jesus." 

AND  so  blasphemers,  persecutors,  and  revilers  were  the 
kind  of  persons  whom  Christ  invited  into  His  kingdom  ! 
Nay,  it  was  far  worse ;  for  though  to  many  it  may  seem  a 
dangerous  thing  to  say,  still  the  Lord  himself  has  averred  that 
"  publicans  and  harlots  " — that  is,  the  vilest  slaves  of  sin — are 
more  welcome  to  become  His  subjects  than  the  specious 
saints  who  deem  themselves  superlatively  good.^  No  wonder, 
then,  that  even  on  this  earth  these  paragons  of  virtue  decline 
to  hold  fellowship  with  the  maimed,  and  the  halt,  and  the 
blind,  whom  the  Lord  sent  His  messengers  into  the  streets 
and  lanes  of  the  city  to  invite,^  and  when  they  meet  them 
keep  some  paces  aloof.  Well,  then,  measures  have  been 
adopted  that  also  in  the  world  to  come  you  will  run  no  risk 
of  being  defiled  by  such  low  company ;  for,  when  translated 
there,  between  you  and  them  you  will  find  a  great  gulf  fixed. 

The  Lord  our  God,  however,  as  Luther  says,  is  an  Artist 
who  delights  only  in  difficult  masterpieces,  and  cares  not  for 
plain  carving.  He  is  also  specially  fond  of  working  from  the 
block,  and  therefore  always  chooses  the  hardest  timber  and 
stone  on  which  to  display  the  perfection  of  his  skill.  This  has 
been  His  custom  from  the  earHest  times.  Even  the  people 
which  He  chose  out  of  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  for  His  own, 
and  of  which  He  said,  "  My  dove,  my  undefiled  is  but  one,"  ^ 
was  a  very  raven.  Alas  !  too  often  they  forgot  the  Father  who 
had  led  them  out  of  the  wilderness,  and  in  pure  mercy  and 
loving-kindness  brought  them  into  the  land  flowing  with  milk 
and  honey.  And  doubtless,  hereafter,  when  we  shall  be  walk- 
ing through  the  streets  of  the  heavenly  Jerusalem,  many  a  lofty 
palace  built  of  the  most  precious  stones  shall  we  behold.  But 
methinks  the  fairest  ornament  of  them  all  will  be  the  motto 
engraven  upon  the  porch — 

1  Matt.  xxi.  31.  2  Luke,  xiv.  21.  •*  Song  of  Sol.  vi.  9, 


58  12.7  resisted  ignorantly  in  Unbelief. 

Immersed  in  miry  pits  profound, 
His  chosen  folk  the  Saviour  found, 
And  brought  them  to  this  glorious  place, 
To  show  the  wonders  of  His  grace. 

For  such  is  the  inscription  which  must  stand  upon  every 
house  of  which  the  Lord  is  the  builder. 

Accordingly  Saul  was  a  stone  superlatively  hard;  but  the 
very  hardest  of  stones,  if  it  strive  with  the  Lord,  must  prove 
brittle  as  a  potter's  vessel,  and  be  dashed  to  pieces.  Is  it  not 
written,  "  Whosoever  shall  fall  on  this  stone  shall  be  broken ; 
but  on  whomsoever  it  shall  fall,  it  will  grind  him  to  powder  "  ?  ^ 
Hear  also  the  words  of  Luther :  "  Christ  speaks  and  says, 
Good  people,  beware  of  meddling  and  embroiling" yourselves 
with  me.  If  you  do,  I  plainly  tell  you  that  I  am  a  stone,  and 
will  not  be  afraid  of  the  pots,  however  big-bellied  they  be,  and 
however  they  may  blow  themselves  out,  as  if  they  meant  to 
terrify  me  with  their  wrath  and  threatening.  The  bigger  and 
the  more  inflated  they  are,  the  sooner  will  they  be  struck, 
and  the  more  easily  broken."  "It  is  hard  for  thee  to  kick 
against  the  pricks,"  spake  the  Lord  Jesus  to  Saul.  And 
although  Saul  resisted,  he  was  compelled  to  submit ;  for  it  is 
written,  "  The  strong  shall  be  assigned  to  Him  as  a  prey."^ 

But  hard  although  he  was,  Saul  was  not  for  that  reason 
of  the  worst  quality  of  stone;  otherwise,  in  my  opinion,  the 
heavenly  Architect  would  not  have  specially  chosen  and  pre- 
ferred him.  Certainly  he  was  neither  mud  nor  clay,  like  the 
dissemblers  and  hypocrites  of  whom  we  read  so  much  in  the 
Gospel.  Though  belonging  to  the  same  sect,  he  was  not  one 
of  those  Pharisees^  who  strained  at  a  gnat  and  swallowed  a 
camel — "paid  tithes  of  mint,  anise,  and  cummin,  but  omitted 
the  weightier  matters  of  the  law,  judgment,  mercy,  and  faith"* 
— and  who  were,  no  doubt,  like  himself,  zealous  against  Christ 
and  His  doctrine,  but  were  so  for  their  own  glory,  and  not  for 
the  glory  of  God.  Neither  was  Saul  a  Simon  the  sorcerer, 
who,  when  Philip  preached  the  Gospel  and  wrought  miracles, 

1  Matt.  xxi.  44.  2  Isa.  liii.  12 — Luther's  vers. 

3  Acts,  xxvi.  5.  ^  Matt,  xxiii.  23. 


12.  I  resisted  igitorantly  in  Unbelief.  59 

attended  to  the  miracles  and  not  to  the  preaching ;  and,  even 
in  the  former,  had  regard  solely  to  the  profit  which  might  be 
reaped  by  him  who  performed^  and  not  to  that  which  would 
accrue  to  him  who  believed  in  them.  Just  as  little  did  he 
follow  the  example  of  those  moral  heroes  of  the  modern 
school,  who,  by  cunning  arts  of  exposition,  contrive  to  oblit- 
erate the  clearest  language  of  the  divine  commandments.  On 
the  contrary,  into  conflict  with  these  divine  commandments  he 
honourably  entered,  and  maintained  it  until  his  strength  was 
wholly  spent.  According  to  the  account  of  himself  which  he 
has  bequeathed  to  us  in  the  7th  chapter  of  the  Epistle  to  the 
Romans,  he  had  a  zeal  of  God,  but  not  according  to  know- 
ledge ;  and  even  while  persecuting  Christ,  did  it  with  a  good 
intention,  deeming  it  a  service  rendered  to  God.^  Now  that 
is  the  quality  of  the  timber  which  our  God  still  uses  for  the 
carpentry  of  His  temple.  Of  the  self-same  sort,  as  I  think, 
was  the  malefactor  on  the  cross.  The  hypocrite  gazes  up  at 
him  with  astonishment,  and  imagines  that  that  person  got  into 
Paradise  at  far  too  cheap  a  rate.  Mark,  however,  what  the 
entrance  cost  him.  There  was  a  strait  gate  through  which  it 
behoved  him,  as  it  behoves  all,  to  pass,  and  to  leave  outside 
both  his  sins  and  his  holiness ;  and  this  the  malefactor  did 
when  he  spake  to  his  accomplice  saying  :  ''Dost  not  thou 
fear  God,  seeing  thou  art  in  the  same  condemnation  ?  And 
we  indeed  justly  ;  for  we  receive  the  due  reward  of  our  deeds :  but 
this  man  hath  done  nothing  amiss."  See  here,  ye  moral 
heroes,  the  ditch  which  you  require  to  clear  !  It  consists  in 
the  confession,  '*'  We  are  iji  the  same  cojtdemnation,  ajid  indeed 
Justly^  ^  A  very  brief  sentence  is  this,  but  it  is  like  a  hole 
pierced  in  a  sheet  of  paper,  through  which  the  eye  can  see  the 
whole  firmament.  Even  so  it  is  with  the  heart.  If  it  under- 
stand but  the  little  word  repentance,  though  ignorant  of  every 
other  virtue,  through  that  all  heaven  enters  in. 

There   must   therefore    be   agreement    between   Paul   and 
James,  when  the  one  says,  "  By  the  grace  of  God  I  am  what 
1  Rom.  X.  2 ;  Gal.  i.  13,  14.  ^  Luke,  xxiii.  40,  41. 


6o  12.  I  resisted  ignorantly  ill  Unbelief. 

I  am ; "  ^  and  the  other  admonishes,  "  Draw  nigh  to  God,  and 
He  will  draw  nigh  to  you."  ^  And  again,  between  the  Lord's 
address  to  Paul,  "It  is  hard  for  thee  to  kick  against  the 
pricks,"  and  what  He  elsewhere  avers — viz.,  "  Every  one  who 
is  of  the  truth  heareth  my  voice."  And  so  there  is.  Saul 
himself  had  been  drawing  near  to  God,  although  in  a  wrong 
way;  and  while  yet  in  bondage  to  the  law,  and  labouring  under 
spiritual  blindness,  was,  notwithstanding,  of  the  number  whom 
the  Lord  describes  as  being  "  of  the  truth."  For  though  he 
still  blasphemed  the  name  of  Jesus,  such  was  the  temper  of  his 
mind  that  everything  with  him  depended  upon  his  knowing  for 
certain  that  the  Lord  had  spoken.  After  ascertaining  that, 
never  did  he  fail  to  say  Amen.  This  he  did  in  the  instance 
before  us.  For  the  moment  he  is  convinced  that  it  was  the 
Lord  who  called  him,  he  is  ready  with  the  answer,  "  What 
wouldst  Thou  have  me  to  do?"  And  for  this  reason  he 
alleges,  as  a  great  consolation  to  himself,  that  he  did  what  he 
did  "  ignorantly  in  unbelief.^^ 

Yes,  my  Saviour,  and  that  is  what  I  too  can  say  like  him. 
I  did  it  ignorantly  when  I  did  not  recognise  Thee  in  Thy 
servile  disguise ;  I  did  it  ignorantly  when  Thou  didst  meet  me 
in  the  way  and  I  haughtily  passed  Thee  by ;  I  did  it  ignorantly 
when  Thou  didst  court  me  for  my  heart  and  I  refused  to  give 
it  Thee.  At  the  same  time  Thou  also  knowest  that  all  this 
was  done  in  ignorance,  and  for  that  reason  Thou  wouldst  not 
accept  the  repulse,  but  didst  return  again  and  again  to  knock 
at  the  door,  and  try  if  it  were  still  barred.  The  more  the  spell 
of  my  sin  dissolved,  the  more  didst  Thou  disclose  to  me  the 
charm  of  Thy  love ;  and  then  how  could  I  any  longer  fail  to 
see  that  to  reject  Thee  is  to  reject  salvatioji  ?  In  this  way  Thou 
didst  ever  more  and  more  enrich  me ;  and  when  at  last  the 
hour  came,  and  Thou  didst  reveal  Thyself  to  me  in  all  Thy 
majesty  and  beauty,  I  then  surrendered  myself  wholly  to  Thee, 
and  with  Thee  found  at  last  all  that  I  had  so  long,  and  with 
such  unquenchable  desire,  been  seeking  on  every  hand. 
1  I  Cor.  XV.  lo.  2  janigg^  iy_  3^ 


13.  Christ  is  the  Way,  the  Truth,  and  the  Life.      61 

Thou  art,  O  Lord,  too  strong  for  me  ;  I  yield,   ^ 
For  who  with  Thee  can  cope?    When  in  the  field 
Thy  banner  waves,  the  very  mightiest  must 
Before  Thee,  conquering  hero,  lick  the  dust. 

What  strange  delusion  compassed  me  about  ! 
ISTethought  'twas  with  my  bitterest  foe  I  fought ; 
The  spell  dissolved,  and,  petrified  with  woe, 
I  saw  of  friends  the  dearest  in  that  foe. 

O  Love,  that  won  me  in  the  fiery  fight, 
How  did  I  still  with  scorn  Thy  toils  requite  ! 
Pardon  I  crave— I  k7iew  not  who  Thou  wert. 
Or  none  but  Thee  had  ever  won  my  heart. 


13. 

^{jrist  is  i\iz  TOag,  tlje  STrut]^,  anti  t]^e  3Life. 

Ftill  many  a  fathom  down  I  went 

In  leartimg's  mines  obscure, 
And  studied  day  and  night  i?itent, 

Her  treasures  to  secure. 
But  all  in  vain  /     Till  Wisdom  i  spake, 

He  who  would  win  m.e  for  a  wife 
Must  with  the  heart  his  courtship  make  ; 

Knowledge  is  but  the  mirrored  form  of  life. 

John,  xiv.  6.    "  I  am  the  way,  the  truth,  and  the  life." 
John,  vii.  17.    ''  If  any  man  will  do  His  will,  he  shall  know 

of  the  doctrine,  whether  it  be  of  God,  or  whether  I  speak 

of  myself." 
Matt.  v.  8.    "  The  pure  in  heart  shall  see  God." 

Disciple. — It  is  written,  "  He  that  believeth  not  shall  be 
damned."  ^  Does  this  mean,  he  that  will  not  believe  although 
he  can^  or  he  who  cannot  believe  although  he  will .? 

1  The  divine  wisdom  manifested  in  Christ.— Matt.  xi.  19  ;  Luke,  xi.  49. 

2  Mark,  xvi.  16. 


62      13-  Christ  is  the  Way,  the  Truth,  and  the  Life. 

Master. — And  who,  then,  cannot  believe  ? 

D. — He  who  has  experienced  the  truth  of  the  apostle's  aver- 
ment that  "  Faith  is  not  given  to  every  man."  ^ 
-  M. — You  know,   however,  who  they  are  to  whom  faith  is 
given  ? 

D. — I  know  a  class  to  whom  it  certainly  is  not.  It  is  not 
given  to  them  who  want  to  see  before  they  believe. 

M. — And  I  know  to  whom  it  is  given.  It  is  given  to  them 
who  hunger  and  thirst.     Do  you  hunger  and  thirst? 

D. — Why  should  I  not  ? 

M. — For  many  reasons  that  might  be  assigned,  and  for  this, 
among  others — no  one  hungers  who  is  full.  Is  that  the  case 
with  you  ? 

i^.— No. 

M. — What  then  do  you  lack? 

D. — I  cannot  rightly  express  it ;  but,  if  you  please,  I  will 
say,  The  instrument  is  out  of  tune. 

M. — What !  have  you  already  advanced  so  far  ?  Tell  me, 
now,  which  of  the  strings  is  sprung. 

D. — Perhaps  more  than  one. 

M. — But  do  you  not  know  the  Artist  whose  hand  can  mend 
the  broken  ones,  and  put  in  tune  those  that  have  lost  the 
pitch  ? 

D. — Yes,  and  No;  for  He  whom  you  mean  has  made  a 
condition  with  which  I  cannot  comply. 

M. — What  is  it? 

D. — "  Not  to  see  and  yet  to  believe.'^  ^  i  set  a  great  value  upon 
my  eyes. 

M. — For  the  present  put  that  aside,  and  answer  me  this 
question,  can  any  one  tune  the  strings  unless  he  has  the  true 
pitch  within  himself? 

D. — No  other  can. 

M. — What,  then,  think  you  of  Him  who  has  put  the  stone 
of  stumbling  in  your  way?  Has  He  the  true  pitch  within 
Himself? 

1  2  Thess.  iii.  2 — Luther's  vers,  ^Jq^^,  xx.  29. 


13.  Christ  is  the  Way,  the  Truths  and  the  Life.     63 

D. — I  cannot  answer  No  ;  for  there  is  that  about  Him  which 
might  well  make  one  beheve  that  He  has. 

M. — What  is  it  ? 

D, — Well,  sound  and  colour  are  sister-streams  from  the 
same  hill.  What  the  verdure  of  the  fresh-sown  field  in  spring 
is  to  the  eye — something  on  which  it  reposes  with  complete 
satisfaction — that,  I  confess,  in  many  a  quiet  hour  on  which 
no  eye  but  Heaven's  looked  down,  has  been  to  my  spirit  the 
contemplation  of  His  image.  I  must  confess  that  I  then  felt 
as  if  I  had  reached  the  summit  of  a  hill  so  lofty  that  around  its 
tranquil  crown  the  storms  are  silent. 

M. — It  almost  seems  to  me  that  while  your  words  dispute, 
your  knees  already  bow  to  the  Son  of  God  and  man. 

D. — There,  we  are  again  upon  different  roads.  Do  you 
mean  the  Son  of  God  who  ascended  from  earth  to  heaven,  or 
the  one  who  came  down  from  heaven  to  earth  ? 

M. — In  His  own  Word  I  read  :  "  No  man  hath  ascended 
up  to  heaven  but  He  that  came  down  from  heaven,  even  the 
Son  of  man  which  is  in  heaven ; "  ^  and  again  :  *'  Hereafter  ye 
shall  see  heaven  open,  and  the  angels  of  God  ascendi?ig  and 
descending  upon  the  Son  of  man."  ^  I  do  not,  therefore,  under- 
stand the  distinction  which  you  draw.  Moreover,  a  man  can 
receive  nothing,  except  it  be  given  him  from  on  high.^  Can 
he  manifest  God  to  whom  God  has  not  manifested  Himself? 

D. — You  express  what  I  think;  and  as  for  bending  the 
knee — 

Why  should  the  knee  not  bend  to  all  that's  fair, 
If  God's  bright  image  glows  reflected  there  ? 

M. — That,  my  son,  is  a  posture  in  which  I  rejoice  to  see 
you. 

Bold  and  erect  we  stand  upon  our  feet, 

When  for  support  on  our  own  strength  we  lean. 

'Tis  meet  that  he  should  kneel  who  must  receive. 

As  you  acknowledge  Him  to  be  the  only  One  who  has  the 
true  pitch  within  Himself,  you  will  also  accredit  Him  with  the 

ijohn,  iii.  13.  ^  John,  i.  51.  ^John,  iii.  27. 


64      13-  CJirist  is  the  Way,  tJie  Truth,  and  the  Life. 

power  to  put  others  in  tune,  and  will  be  willing  to  receive  at 
His  hands. 

D. — Yes,  I  would  like  it  much,  only  I  love  my  eyes. 

M. — And  so  do  I.  But  you  do  see;  and  your  own  words 
testify  that  what  you  see  is  something  amazingly  great. 

D. — Yes,  I  see  a  mystery ;  and  therefore,  with  eyes  that  see, 
I  am  still  blind. 

M. — Does  the  compass  less  safely  show  the  mariner  the  way 
through  the  stormy  waves  because  it  is  a  hidden  mystery  to 
him  why  it  points  to  the  north  ? 

D. — He  is  the  Way — that  I  have  long  known ;  but  He  him- 
self says  that  He  is  the  Truth. 

M. — And  because  He  says  it  that  also  will  be  true.  Not 
only  is  He  the  Truth,  but  He  is  likewise  the  Life.  If,  then, 
He  promised  to  you  also  the  truth,  why  do  you  not  trust  Him  ? 

D. — I  confess  I  saw  a  Way,  but  I  have  not  found  the 
Truth. 

M. — You  say,  I  smv  and  have  long  k?town  the  Way ;  but 
did  you  2X^0  follow  \\.} 

D. — Ought  I  to  blush  if  I  answer  that  I  did  not  ?  O  master  ! 
I  boldly  aver  before  thee  and  all  the  world  that  Wisdom  is  the 
great  goddess  to  whom  I  pay  my  court. 

M. — And  so  you  love  the  Life  only  to  know  it  ? 

Yours  is  indeed  a  curious  taste, 

Content  to  smell  rather  than  eat  the  feast. 

L>. — You  disparage  my  goddess,  and  yet  I  am  not  ashamed 
of  her.  Would  that  in  her  majesty  she  were  not  ashamed  of 
me  !  Knoivledge — the  word  is  far  from  expressing  that  for 
which  my  soul  longs  with  a  burning  thirst.  One  may  know  all 
things  by  rote — God,  angels,  the  world ;  but  that  which  we 
merely  know  by  rote,  neither  satisfies  nor  tranquillises  the 
mind.  No  j  not  for  so  paltry  a  prize  as  that  did  my  soul  sue. 
The  knowledge  for  which  I  sued  is  of  so  inward  a  kind,  that 
were  the  firmament  itself  to  become  a  book,  and  every  star  a 
letter,  I  should  still  deem  it  far  too  small.     I  will  learn  the 


13.  CJmst  is  the  Way,  the  Truth,  and  the  Life,      65 

knowledge  for  which  I  long  from  no  volume  but  my  own 
spirit.  I  have  a  boding  impression  of  its  being  of  so  vast  a 
compass,  that  all  that  is  in  heaven,  and  all  that  is  in  the  heart 
of  the  Only-begotten,  and  all  that  is  in  the  heart  of  God  Him- 
self, will  be  comprehended  in  it.  And  what  say  you  to  the 
Master's  own  averment,  that  "  This  is  life  eternal,  that  they 
might  knoiv  Thee  the  only  true  God,  and  Jesus  Christ,  whom 
Thou  hast  sent "  ?  ^ 

M. — Several  things  I  should  have  to  say.  But  now  I  shall 
say  but  one.  If  life  be  the  offspring  of  knowledge^  what  if 
knowledge  itself  be  the  offspring  oi  faith,  and  of  faith  alone? 
What  if  the  correct  order  be,  as  St  Peter  shows,  "  We  believe 
and  are  sure'^  2  (surely  know) ;  or,  as  it  is  expressed  in  the 
words  of  the  prophet,  "  I  will  even  betroth  thee  unto  me  in 
faithfulness  (faith),  and  thou  shalt  kjiow  the  Lord"  ?  ^ 

D. — Methinks  that  way  a  hard  one. 

M. — It  has  often  happened  that  a  man  has  confided  in  a 
loving  hand,  and,  when  bidden,  has  gone  the  way  it  led  blind- 
fold, until  the  time  came  to  take  the  bandage  from  his  eyes. 
You  say  the  way  is  hard,  but,  my  son,  it  is  you  who  are  indis- 
creet. You  refuse  to  trust  Him,  and  yet  require  of  Him  to 
\x\x?,tyoii.  Do  you  not  know  what  is  written, — "  The  secret  of 
the  Lord  is  with  them  thaty^^r  Him  "?* 

D. — I  can  only  repeat  that  faith  is  a  beautiful  child,  if  only 
it  were  not  blind. 

M. — Do  not  sin,  my  son.  Faith  is  not  blind;  for  how  could 
it  possibly  love  if  it  did  not  see?  Its  eyes  are  not  bound;  for 
what  says  the  apostle, — "  Now  we  see  through  a  glass  darkly"  ?^ 
Accordingly,  faith  sees  its  own  objects — nay,Jit  also  sees  some- 
thing more;  it  sees  why  it  beHeves.  And  tell  me,  you  whose 
eyes  have  gazed  upon  that  One  who  of  all  the  human  race  alone 
bears  the  true  pitch  within  Him,  can  you  say  that  in  trusting 
Him  you  did  not  know  the  reason  why  ? 

1  John,  xvii.  3  2  John,  vi.  69.  ^  Hos.  ii.  20.  ■*  Psalm  xxv.  14. 

^  I  Cor.  xiii.  12.  The  ancients  had  metal  mirrors,  which  showed  the  objects 
less  distinctly  than  is  done  by  ours. 

E 


66     13-  CJirist  is  the  Wajy,  the  Truth,  and  the  Life. 

D. — No  doubt  I  saw  a  reason  faintly  and  partially.  But, 
after  all,  dear  master,  faith  is  still  a  bitter  morsel. 

M. — Bitter  only  where  love  is  lacking.  He  who  loves  relies. 
You  love  Him  not ;  and  you  do  not  love  Him  although  you 
say  that  of  all  beings  He  is  the  most  worthy  of  love. 

D. — In  your  opinion,  then,  the  way  to  knowledge  lies  through 
faith  and  love  ? 

M. — So  I  think,  and  so  Christ  says  ;  for  all  knowledge  is  but 
the  mirror  of  life. 

D. — Be  not  displeased  if  I  once  more  take  refuge  in  His  own 
words  :  "  This  is  life  eternal,  that  they  might  know  Thee  the 
only  true  God,  and  Jesus  Christ,  whom  Thou  hast  sent." 

M. — The  buckler  breaks.  The  life  eternal  was  certainly 
present  in  the  Church  long  before  the  knowledge  after  which 
you  aspire.  "  We  know,"  says  St  John.  "  that  we  have  passed 
from  death  unto  life."  The  knowing  spoken  of  in  Scripture  is 
a  tasting.  "  We  have  tasted  the  good  word  of  God  and  the 
powers  of  the  world  to  come.^'  ^  "  Taste  and  see  that  the  Lord 
is  good." 2  In  those  days  when  the  Light  of  the  world  shone 
upon  the  Church,  a  garden  of  the  Lord  sprang  up,  and  every 
tree  in  it  was  adorned  with  golden  fruits.  But  what  grows 
beneath  the  beams  of  the  light  which  you  see  ?  However  near 
the  sun  may  be,  still,  if  its  rays  fall  obliquely,  the  winter  lasts 
and  not  a  flower  blossoms.  And  with  you  it  fell  obliquely,  and 
not  in  the  centre,  which  is  the  heart. 

D. — You  nearly  vanquish  me,  for  you  are  mighty  in  the 
Word  of  God ;  and  what  that  means  I  now  can  no  longer 
doubt.     Must  we  then  begin  from  below  ? 

M. — Where  else  can  he  who  has  fallen  begin?  Properly 
speaking,  however,  faith  is  rather  ijinermost  than  undermost, 
and  it  gives  light  both  up  and  down.  Mankind  have  lost  the 
cheerful  ring  of  peace  ;  and  in  what  other  way  can  they  recover 
it  save  that  in  which  it  was  lost  ?  We  fell  by  disobedience,  and 
only  by  obedience  do  we  regain  our  feet.  To  believe  is  to  obey. 
I  know  of  only  one  test  which  the  Lord  has  proposed  to  them 
1  Heb.  vi.  5.  ^  Psalm  xxxiv.  9 ;  i  Pet.  ii.  3. 


13-  Christ  is  the  Way,  the  TriUh,  and  the  Life.     67 

who  ask  of  Him  a  test.  It  is  :  ^^  If  any  man  will  do  His  will^ 
he  shall  know  of  the  doctrine,  whether  it  be  of  God."  "  The  pure 
in  heart  shall  see  God."  You  have  aspired  after  a  knowledge 
not  merely  to  be  known  to  you  by  rote,  but  possessed  as  more 
your  own  than  all  else.  Eut  is  not  such  a  knowledge  external 
only  so  long  as  your  own  being  belies  the  testimony  of  your 
knowledge  ?  You  wished  to  unite  yourself  in  wedlock  with  the 
lofty  goddess  Wisdom,  and  forgot  what  she  herself  declares  : 
"I  love  those  that  love  me;"  and,  "  My  son,  give  me  thine 
heart." ^  You  wished  to  wed  her,  and  yet  are  ignorant  of  the 
holy  mystery  of  wedlock,  which  is,  "  that  they  two  shall  be  one 
flesh ;"'^  and  yet  you  were  not  willing  to  share  with  her  so 
much  as  your  heart,  but  oxAj  your  thoughts. 

D. — Let  a  wise  man  correct  me ;  it  is  as  wine  poured  into  my 
wounds.     Let  him  smite  me  ;  it  is  as  ointment  upon  my  head. 

M. — I  have  not  yet  done.  Something  I  have  still  to  say 
respecting  the  flnal  issue.  How  is  it  possible  for  us  to  reach 
it,  even  with  our  knowledge,  so  long  as  it  is  written,  "  It  doth 
not  yet  appear  what  we  shall  be"  ?^  The  apostle  has  said,  not 
merely  of  this  or  that  individual,  but  of  all  of  woman  born, 
"  Now  we  see  through  a  glass  darkly."  It  cannot  therefore  be 
faith  alone  that  sees  in  the  dim  glass,  but  also  kttowledge,  ajid 
that  in  an  equal  degree — the  knowledge  which  is  taught  in  the 
schools  of  earth.  Where  is  the  man  who  does  not  hold  his 
breath  when  he  contemplates  the  goal  which  beckons  us  at 
the  consummation  of  all  things  ?  "  Then,  however,  I  shall 
know  even  as  I  am  known  (of  God)."  And  thou,  fettered  at 
every  inch  of  the  way  by  the  dust  on  which  thou  treadest,  and, 
like  the  weathercock,  changing  every  hour  thy  course  and 
compass,  thou  triumphest  in  the  fancy  that  thou  hast  already 
grasped  that  goal  with  half  thy  hand.  Yes  ;  as  children  grasp 
at  the  moon.  And  would  that  you  were  but  children  in  your 
teens  !  Who  would  then  grudge  you  your  sport  ?  But  you 
are  forward  boys,  ambitious  of  playing  the  part  of  master  before 
the  time — knights  of  the  peacock-feather — mock  monarchs  in 
1  Prov.  viii.  17  ;  xxiii.  26.  2  gph.  v.  31,  32.  3  j  John,  iii.  2. 


6S  14.  Faith  is  a  new  Sense. 

the  realm  of  thought.  Is  not  your  knowledge  a  journey  without 
an  end?  Scarcely  have  you  reached  a  stage  when  you  must 
arise  and  proceed.  Is  it  not  like  the  thread  of  Ariadne,  with 
which,  painfully  picking  your  steps,  you  creep  on  from  dark- 
ness to  light?  The  name  for  it  is  a  working  day.  It  will  be 
Sabbath  where  we  see  face  to  face.  There  only,  where  all  is 
comprehended  in  one,  do  we  find  rest.     And  if  it  be  true  that, 

Before  the  image  of  the  mountains  green 
Can  mirrored  on  the  crystal  lake  be  seen, 
The  angry  storm  must  hush  itself  to  rest, 
And  not  a  ripple  curl  the  water's  breast  ; 

oh,  how  far  are  you  yet  from  seeing  a  correct  image  even  in  the 
glass  !     For  when  will  all  be  calm  within  you  ? 

D. — The  wise  man  says,  "  A  right  answer  is  like  a  sweet 
kiss."^  I  shall  still  with  half-broken  mast  be  tossed  about 
upon  the  spacious  sea,  but  now  I  know  in  what  direction  to 
look  for  land. 


14. 

ifaitf)  10  a  neSrr  ^mse. 

Faiths  a  sixth  sense,  by  all  confessed 
To  reach  much  further  than  the  rest. 

Heb.  xi.  24-27.  "By  faith  Moses,  when  he  was  come  to 
years,  refused  to  be  called  the  son  of  Pharaoh's  daughter ; 
choosing  rather  to  suffer  affliction  with  the  people  of  God, 
than  to  enjoy  the  pleasures  of  sin  for  a  season;  esteem- 
ing the  reproach  of  Christ  greater  riches  than  the  treasures 
in  Egypt :  for  he  had  respect  unto  the  recompense  of  the 
reward.  By  faith  he  forsook  Egypt,  not  fearing  the  wrath 
of  the  king :  for  he  endured,  as  seeing  Him  who  is  in- 
visible." 

1  Prov.  xxiv.  26 — Luther's  vers. 


14-  Faith  is  a  new  Sense.  69 

MOSES  had  become  a  king's  son,  and  the  future  offered 
to  him  the  prospect  of  honour,  wealth,  and  luxury, 
but  he  chose  to  avouch  his  connection  with  the  poor  and 
servile  Hebrew  nation.  It  may  well  have  been  that  he  did 
not  at  the  time  foresee  the  forty  long  years  of  contention  and 
trouble  which  awaited  him ;  for  during  these  he  was  "  a  sorely 
afflicted  man,  above  all  men  upon  the  earth,"  ^  and  had  little 
enjoyment.  Even  his  natural  understanding,  however,  was 
sufficient  to  show  him  that  he  would  have  to  encounter  re- 
proach and  bitter  variance  and  sore  privations  ;  and  yet  from 
all  of  these  he  did  not  recoil.  Like  Christ,  who  instead  of  the 
joy  which  was  set  before  Him,  preferred  to  endure  the  cross, ^ 
so  did  Moses  esteem  such  reproach  greater  riches  than  the 
treasures  in  Egypt.  And  this  is  the  reason  why  it  is  called 
the  reproach  of  Christ.  The  recompense  of  the  reward  was 
invisible  to  the  bodily  eye ;  but,  notwithstanding,  he  beheld 
it  with  the  eye  of  faith;  and  with  faith's  view  of  it,  it  behoved 
him  to  rest  content  until  the  120th  year  of  his  life.  Only  then 
did  he  attain  to  vision  ;  but  even  then  not  to  fruition.  For 
though  he  saw  it  with  his  eyes,  he  was  not  allowed  to  touch 
with  his  foot  the  land  of  Canaan,  the  goal  of  his  earthly  pil- 
grimage. From  the  top  of  Nebo  he  beheld  it  afar  off,  but 
"went  not  over  thither,"^  passing  meanwhile  into  that  better 
land  of  which  Canaan  presented  but  an  imperfect  image.^ 
The  hoary  pilgrim  was  thus  a  true  type  of  the  walk  of  faith  in 
this  scene  of  sojourn  on  earth. 

"  He  endured  as  seeing  Him  that  is  invisible."  Yes,  such  is 
faith;  and  no  words  could  describe  it  better.  It  is  the  eye  for 
the  world  unseen  ;  it  is  a  conviction  wrought  into  the  inner  man 
which  makes  us  surer  of  its  objects  than  the  sense  of  sight 
does  of  those  which  stand  before  our  eyes.  We  are  told  in 
Scripture  ^  that  it  "  is  the  substance  of  things  hoped  for,  the 
evidence  of  things  not  seen  ; "  and  this  means  that  it  is  a  testi- 
mony of  God's  Spirit  in  our  mind,  excelling  every  other,  nay, 

1  Num.  xii.  3 — Luther's  vers.  2  Heb.  xii.  2 —Luther's  vers. 

3  Deut.  xxxiv.  4.  ^  Heb.  iv.  8,  9.  ^  Heb.  xi.  i. 


70  14-  Faith  is  a  new  Sense. 

bidding  defiance  to  all  other  testimonies  of  the  visible  world. 
For  thus  it  is  written  respecting  Abraham  :  "  Against  hope  he 
believed  in  hope,  that  he  might  become  the  father  of  many 
nations,  according  to  that  which  was  spoken.  So  shall  thy  seed 
be.  And  being  not  weak  in  faith,  he  considered  not  his  own 
body  now  dead,  when  he  was  about  an  hundred  years  old, 
neither  yet  the  deadness  of  Sarah's  womb  :  he  staggered  not 
at  the  promise  of  God  through  unbelief;  but  was  strong  in 
faith,  giving  glory  to  God."i  How  forcible  the  expression, 
"  Against  hope  he  believed  in  hope  "  !  What  was  there  in  all 
the  visible  world  on  which  the  patriarch  could  build  the  belief 
or  expectation  that  his  seed  should  one  day  be  equal  in  number 
to  the  stars  of  heaven  ?  In  nature  he  saw  only  a  pure  negation. 
But  what  does  it  matter  although  all  creation  say  No,  when 
the  word  of  God  has  said  Yes  ?  Faith  fastens  on  Him  who  is 
unseen,  as  if  it  saw  Him. 

How  marvellous  a  thing  faith  is  !  There  is  no  power  greater 
than  that  which  the  sight  of  our  eyes  exercises  over  us,  and 
yet  in  defiance  of  it  faith  can  hope  even  where  there  is  nothing 
to  hope  for.  In  truth,  however,  faith  itself  is  likewise  an  eye, 
and  one  before  which  all  the  riches  of  the  invisible  world — the 
deepest  recesses  of  heaven,  as  well  as  the  abyss  of  hell — lie 
disclosed.  Were  it  otherwise,  how  could  a  man  possibly  pre- 
vail upon  himself  to  put  to  hazard  the  present  world,  with  all 
its  wealth,  in  order  to  win  eternity  ?  "  Were  the  universal 
globe,"  says  a  believer,  "  and  all  that  it  contains,  suspended 
upon  the  thread  of  a  lie,  and  did  I  know  the  word  of  truth 
which  would  break  the  thread,  that  word  I  would  utter,  although 
the  globe  and  all  that  it  contains  were  to  drop  into  the  abyss." 
Whence  comes  this  certainty  and  confidence?  It  cannot  have 
its  source  in  the  sublunary  world,  and  must  be  a  testimony 
vouchsafed  by  God  to  the  soul.  Let  there  be  but  a  grain  of 
such  inward  faith,  and  it  will  remove  mountains  of  appetites 
and  lusts,  and  extirpate  the  passions  most  deeply  rooted  in  the 
heart.     Yes,  a  single  grain  of  such   faith   makes  the  entire 

1  Rom.  iv.  18-20. 


14-  Faith  is  a  new  Sense.  yi 

t 
domain  of  visible  things  transparent  to  us.  We  see  through 
them  all,  and  taste  through  them  all,  the  powers  of  the  in- 
visible world  to  come.  That  "  in  Him  we  live,  and  move,  and 
have  our  being,''  becomes  a  reality  to  the  believer ;  and  the 
words  of  the  Lord,  "  I  am  a  God  at  hand,  and  not  afar  off," 
a  matter  of  experience.  He  scents  the  breath  of  the  Divine 
Being  whether  he  walks  forth  into  the  garden  of  nature,  or 
mixes  in  the  society  of  men,  or  remains  in  the  solitude  of  his 
closet.  We  need  not  wonder  that  the  generality  look  upon 
the  believer  as  a  fool  and  a  dreamer  who  lives  in  a  world  of 
his  own,  instead  of  that  which  is  common  to  the  race.  And 
yet  the  reverse  is  the  case.  They  are  the  dreamers.  It  is 
they  who  live  in  a  world  of  their  own ;  for  so  long  as  the 
breath  of  God  is  not  everywhere  traced  and  felt  here  below, 
what  is  the  world  but  the  vain  and  unsubstantial  fabric  of  a 
dream?  No,  it  is  7i>e  who  are  awake;  we  who  now  in  time 
already  experience  eternity,  and  in  the  present  world  taste  the 
powers  of  that  which  is  to  come. 

Is  it  so  that  I  am  without  strength  ?  Oh,  now  I  perceive 
that  the  impotence  of  man  is  but  impotence  of  faith  !  Faith 
removes  mountains.  What  are  all  the  earthly  things  that  can 
come  against  me  —  enmity,  sickness,  poverty,  and  death? 
They  are  only  what  I  myself  make  them,  by  my  faith  or  my 
unbelief.  Faith  subjugates  and  transforms  without  distinction 
all  outward  objects.  If  at  every  moment  of  my  life  I  could 
cleave  to  Him  that  is  invisible,  as  if  I  actually  saw  Him  with 
my  eyes,  what  would  then  be  difficult,  what  impossible  for  me  ? 

If,  indeed.  He  were  revealed  to  my  view  only  in  the  char- 
acter of  Judge,  my  strength  would  be  broken  rather  than  in- 
creased. But  it  is  as  the  Father  of  ?ny  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and 
with  outstretched  arms  to  embrace  His  prodigal  son,  that  He 
stands  before  me.  Am  I  not  a  citizen  of  the  New  Jerusalem 
— that  Jerusalem  of  which  it  is  written,  "  The  inhabitants  shall 
not  say  I  am  sick  ;  the  people  that  dwell  therein  shall  be  for- 
given their  iniquity''?^  Yes;  now  I  know  why  so  much  stress, 
1  Isa.  xxxiii.  24. 


72  14-  Faith  is  a  new  Sense. 

is  laid  upon  faith,  and  why  it  is  written,  *'  O  Lord,  are  not 
Thine  eyes  set  upon  faith  ?  "  ^  Abraham,  by  beUeving,  gave 
glory  to  God.  We  glorify  Thee  when  we  believe  that  what 
Thou  dost  promise  Thou  art  also  able  to  perform ;  and  our 
faith  is  our  only  worship. 

Tell  me,  my  soul,  why  to  and  fro, 
Wanders  o'er  all  the  earth  thine  eye  ? 
What  sees  it  there  but  sin  and  woe, 
Bewailed  with  tears  that  never  dry  ? 
Or  why  to  ocean's  furthest  shore 
For  peace  and  comfort  dost  thou  roam  ? 
Eternity  is  at  thy  door, 
And  all  its  joys  thou  hast  at  home. 

Yes,  these  to  have  and  hold  are  thine, 
When  to  thy  fixed  and  earnest  gaze 
In  the  heart's  lone  and  silent  shrine, 
Its  wealth  and  glory  heaven  displays. 
Can  aught  be  sure  if  these  deceive. 
And  balk  like  airy  dreams  the  hand  ? 
Though  bafiSed  sense  may  not  believe, 
Firm  and  substantial  there  they  stand. 

What  though  in  vain  thou  search  around 
For  some  poor  staff  on  which  to  lean. 
Nor  one  of  all  the  ties  be  found 
That  knit  thee  to  this  earthly  scene? 
Oh,  let  them  unregretted  go, 
With  all  that  here  thy  heart  could  charm. 
Ee  not  dismayed — to  help  thee,  lo  ! 
God  offers  an  almighty  arm. 

The  staves  on  which  thy  hopes  once  leant, 

By  Him  were  broken  one  by  one ; 

His  hand  the  bonds  asunder  rent 

Which  round  thy  heart  the  world  had  thrown. 

And  this  He  did  that  thou  mightst  yield 

To  none  but  Him  thy  confidence. 

And  on  the  things  eternal  build 

As  if  they  stood  revealed  to  sense. 

Oh  then,  my  soul,  if  earth  to  thee 
Shut  her  inhospitable  door, 
Bid  her  a  long  good-night,  and  be 
Undaunted  as  thou  wert  before. 


1  Jer.  V.  3 — Luther's  vers. 


15-   The  Heavens  declare  the  Glory  of  God.         73 


Not  till  the  senses  all  deny 
One  grain  of  comfort  or  delight. 
Does  faith's  bedimmed  and  timid  eye 
Begin  to  see  heaven's  portal  bright. 


15. 

SEfje  i&ea&eng  "atdmt  tfie  ffilots  of  ffioti. 

There  are  Three  Testaments  which  show 

What  God  both  is  and  does  ; 
And  he  who  well  the  First  would  know 

The  Second  must  peruse  ; 
Nor  will  he  in  the  Second  speed, 
Unless  the  Third  be  rightly  read. 

Psalm  xix. — A  Psalm  of  David.  Part  First. —  Verse  i. 
"  The  heavens  declare  the  glory  of  God ;  and  the  firma- 
ment showeth  His  handiwork." 

MAN  so  often  calls  for  preachers — ought  he  not  much 
rather  to  desire  a  proper  ear  for  hearing  them  ?  for, 
in  truth,  we  are  surrounded  with  preachers  wherever  we  turn 
our  eyes.  There  are  preachers  in  the  firmament  above,  preach- 
ers in  the  earth  below,  preachers  within  us  and  preachers  with- 
out. What  a  sermon  it  is  which  the  firmament  of  heaven  alone 
preaches  to  us — ^the  sky,  whether  azure  and  serene,  or  overcast 
with  stormy  clouds  !  The  heaven,  with  its  marvels,  declares 
the  glory  of  God  by  the  magnificence  of  day  as  well  as  by  the 
magnificence  of  night. 

But  do  many  listen  ?  Can  it  be  denied  that  until  God  speak 
to  his  heart  within,  man  cannot  comprehend  the  language  He 
utters  from  everything  about  and  above  and  beneath  him? 
How  beautiful  to  this  effect  the  words  of  Tauler  !  "  He  who 
gazes  long  at  the  sun  sees  a  sun  impressed  on  every  object  to 
which  he  afterwards  turns  his  eye ;  and  it  is  the  same  with  him 


74         1 5-    ^/^^  Heavens  declare  the  Glory  of  God. 

who  is  much  occupied  with  the  contemplation  of  God." 
There  are  hours  when  we  can  stand  in  the  bosom  of  nature 
and  feel  as  if  we  were  in  a  church,  and  a  fresh  doxology  were 
gushing  from  every  breast,  so  that  we  cannot  choose  but  join 
the  hymn,  and  are  caught  and  borne  along  by  the  general 
flood  of  devotion.  At  other  times,  again,  how  dumb  and 
speechless  the  creatures  around  us  seem  all  to  be,  as  if  every  one 
of  them  must  needs  pursue  its  way  alone  without  the  guidance 
of  a  heavenly  hand  !  The  difference  depends  upon  whether 
God  speaks  within  us  or  not. 

Open  thy  heart  to  God  ;  if  He  be  there, 

The  outspread  world  will  be  thy  book  of  prayer. 

Verse  2.     "  Day  unto  day  uttereth  speech,  and  night  unto 
night  showeth  knowledge.^' 

It  is  still  the  same  heaven  as  that  to  which  the  Saviour 
lifted  up  his  eyes  when  He  prayed — the  same  as  that  on  which 
the  childless  Abraham  gazed  when  in  the  silence  of  night  he 
received  the  promise,  ''  Look  now  towards  heaven,  and  tell  the 
stars,  if  thou  be  able  to  number  them  :  ...  so  shall  thy  seed 
be."  It  is  the  same  heaven  as  that  which  our  first  parents  be- 
held, when  as  yet  holy  and  sinless  children  they  sojourned  in 
Paradise.  Here  below,  on  the  surface  of  the  earth,  all  has 
changed — at  least  among  the  children  of  men ;  but  for  6000 
years  day  has  been  uttering  unto  day,  and  night  unto  night,  the 
same  high  and  perpetual  discourse  concerning  Him  by  whom 
the  heavens  and  the  earth  were  made.  There  is  something 
peculiarly  grand  and  elevating  in  the  thought  that  through  so 
long  a  series  of  ages  nature  has  continued  the  same,  and  yet  that 
to  this  day  she  retains  all  the  charm  of  novelty,  because  nothing 
in  her  merely  is^  but  all  toiding  to  be.  Who  can  refuse  to  ex- 
claim with  the  poet — 

O  nature  !  what  in  thy  fair  face  we  see 
Not  sameness  is,  but  similarity  ; 
For  all  is  old  and  all  grows  new  again 
In  thy  perpetual  domain. 


1 5 .   The  Heavens  declare  the  Glory  of  God.         7  5 

Let  a  man  once  become  sensible  of  the  contrast  between 
nature's  order  and  regularity,  and  the  never-ceasing  inconstancy 
and  fickleness  of  his  own  heart,  and  oh  !  how  does  he  then 
yearn  for  that  inward  steadfastness  over  which  the  vicissitude 
of  light  and  shadow — of  day  and  night — has  lost  all  power  ! 
It  is  this  which  gives  to  nature  the  edifying  and  medicinal 
influence  which  it  exercises  over  us. 


Verse  3.     "  There  is  no  speech  nor  language  where  their 
voice  is  not  heard." 

How  true  !  Nature's  is  a  voice  that  can  be  heard  and  under- 
stood in  every  speech  and  language.  It  addresses  a  man  like 
the  look  of  a  friend  or  the  pressure  of  an  affectionate  hand, 
which  are  intelligible  to  every  nation  of  the  earth  without  the 
aid  of  words.  In  fact,  is  it  not  the  very  eye  of  God — of  Him 
who  is  the  very  best  of  friends — that  does  look  out  upon  us 
from  nature  ?  And  in  some  measure  at  least  the  nations  of  the 
earth  have  not  failed  to  catch  the  accents  of  this  voice.  It  is 
true  they  could  not  have  comprehended  its  meaning,  and  must 
have  wanted  the  interpreter  in  the  heart,  for  they  worshipped 
the  creature  instead  of  the  Creator. ^  Evidently  they  must 
have  supposed  that  the  hymn  which  all  created  things  in 
heaven  and  upon  earth  are  singing  was  a  hymn  in  the  creature's 
praise,  and  yet  what  all  created  things  declare  is  the  glory  of  the 
God  v^ho  made  them.  How  many  also  there  are  among  our- 
selves by  whom  this  is  not  rightly  understood  !  Often  when  I 
hear  their  outbursts  of  enthusiasm  at  the  beauty  of  nature,  it 
pains  me  to  observe  that  it  is  always  the  mere  glory  of  the 
creature  which  they  extol,  and  that  their  minds  do  not  ascend 
to  Him  whose  handiwork  the  creature  is.  Fain  would  I  accost 
them  in  the  height  of  their  admiration,  and  say,  O  my  friends  ! 
you  quite  mistake  the  meaning  of  the  hymn.  It  celebrates  the 
glory  of  that  God  who  gave  all  their  beauty  to  His  works. 

1  Rom.  i.  21-23. 


76  15-   The  Heavens  decla7'e  the  Glory  of  God. 

Sweet  lily  of  the  field,  arrayed 

In  all  thy  pomp  of  dress, 
To  be  my  pattern  thou  wert  made, 

And  gentle  monitress, 

"  O  come,  let  us  worship  and  bow  down ;  let  us  kneel  before 
the  Lord  our  Maker.  For  He  is  our  God  \  and  we  are  the 
people  of  His  pasture,  and  the  sheep  of  His  hand.''^ 

Verses  4-6.  "  Their  line  ^  is  gone  out  through  all  the  earth, 
and  their  words  to  the  end  of  the  world.  In  them  ^  hath 
He  set  a  tabernacle  for  the  sun,  which  is  as  a  bridegroom 
coming  out  of  his  chamber,  and  rejoiceth  as  a  strong  man 
to  run  a  race.  His  going  forth  is  from  the  end  of  the 
heaven,  and  his  circuit  unto  the  ends  of  it :  and  there  is 
nothing  hid  from  the  heat  thereof." 

Every  object  in  the  firmament  of  heaven  declares  the  glory 
of  God.  Every  object  produces  upon  us  the  impression  that 
all  is  old  and  all  new  in  that  perpetual  domain.  This  im- 
pression, however,  we  receive  chiefly  from  the  stui,  when  we 
see  it  every  morning  ascend  the  horizon  in  youthful  freshness, 
as  if  emerging  from  a  bath.  To  one  of  us  it  might  well  appear 
that  in  the  opposite  hemisphere  it  had  been  recruiting  its 
strength,  as  we,  the  children  of  men,  have  meanwhile  ourselves 
been  doing  during  the  silence  of  night ;  and  yet  its  setting  here 
has  only  been  its  rising  there.  How  it  bedims  with  its  splen- 
dour whatever  else  presumes  to  shine  beside  it,  and  so  in  per- 
fect solitude  ascends  the  heavens  !  How  monarch-like,  and, 
as  it  were,  without  respect  of  persons,  it  sheds  its  beams  upon 
mountain  and  valley,  upon  the  humble  and  the  great !  We 
can  scarcely  wonder  that  they  to  whom  the  secojid  of  God's 
Testaments  was  not  vouchsafed  to  help  them  to  expound  the 
first,  which  is  the  Book  of  Nature,  should  have  prostrated 
themselves  and  adored  it  as  the  Lord.  And  yet  what  is  it  but 
the  ministering  servant  of  Him  who  claims  it  as  His  ozun,  and 
of  whom  we  read  that  "  He  maketh  His  sun  to  rise  on  the  evil 

1  Psalm  xcv.  6,  7.  2  According  to  others,  sound. 

^  I.e.,  in  the  ends  of  the  world  or  the  heavens. 


15-   The  Heavens  declare  the  Gloiy  of  God.         yj 

and  the  good "  ?  Nay,  it  is  but  the  servant  of  His  servants, 
for  it  only  ministers  to  other  suns  which  all  at  last  circle  around 
Him  who  bears  the  name  of  the  "  Father  of  Lights."  ^  Doubt- 
less there  was  truth  in  the  apostle's  words  when  he  said  that 
"  the  invisible  things  of  God,  even  His  eternal  power  and 
Godhead,  are  clearly  seen  from  the  creation  of  the  world ; "  so 
that  the  Gentiles  "  are  without  excuse."  ^  In  fact,  however, 
these  things  are  clearly  seen  only  by  those  in  whose  heart  His 
precious  Word — the  Holy  Bible — has  kindled  the  light  which 
illumines  all  nature  besides.  When  it  is  said  that  the  three 
revelations  of  God — that  in  Nature,  that  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, and  that  in  the  New — constitute  together  a  single  book 
in  three  parts,  it  is  a  book  which  can  be  properly  understood 
only  when  in  reading  it  we  reverse  the  order.  If,  however, 
the  two  latter  parts  have  been  duly  mastered,  and  we  then 
again  open  the  first,  oh  what  sermons  never  before  imagined 
resound  from  it  in  our  ears  !  None  but  a  disciple  of  Christ 
understands  the  meaning  of  the  words  when,  encompassed  by 
the  glories  of  nature.  He  exclaims  :  "  Put  off  thy  shoes  from 
thy  feet,  for  the  place  where  thou  standest  is  holy  ground." 
Yes ;  only  the  Christian,  when  he  calls  the  earth  holy  ground, 
knows  that  it  is  because  the  Holy  One  of  God  once  trod  it 
with  sinless  foot — because  on  it  He  offered  the  sacrifice  of  His 
precious  blood — and  because  upon  it,  when  it  shall  have  been 
consecrated  afresh,  "  the  tabernacle  of  God  shall  be  with  men, 
and  He  will  dwell  with  them,  and  they  shall  be  His  people, 
and  God  Himself  shall  be  with  them,  and  be  their  God."  ^ 
This  is  to  look  into  the  heart  of  His  grace  :  and  to  him,  but 
only  to  him,  who  thus  looks,  does  the  world  become  full  of 
mere  miracles  of  mercy.  Oh,  with  what  new  eyes  do  we  read 
the  book  of  nature  when  we  see  on  every  page  of  it  the  traces 
of  One  who  so  loved  the  world  that  He  did  not  spare  His 
only-begotten  Son,  but  tore  Him  from  His  heart,  and  delivered 
Him  up,  that  the  world  might  be  saved  ! 

When  with  an  eye  like  this  a  man  gazes  into  nature,  it  is 
very  true  that  his  heart  will,  even  less  than  that  of  others,  be 

1  James,  i.  17.  2  Rom,  i.  20.  3  Rgy.  xxi,  3. 


y8  15.   T/ie  Heavens  declare  the  Glory  of  God. 

satiated  with  her  loveUness ;  but  then  it  will  be  filled  with  hod- 
ings  of  the  imperishable  beauty  of  that  neu)  earth  upon  which 
God's  children  shall  dwell  from  eternity  to  eternity,  when  they 
have  attained  to  the  glorious  freedom  which  has  been  promised 
to  them.  Then  does  the  enraptured  heart  send  forth  exulting 
shouts,  and  sing — 

Lord,  if  Thy  throne  and  footstool  shine 

So  brightly  here  below, 
Who  shall  the  glories  all  divine 

Within  Thy  heart  that  glow  ? 

And  again — 

Fair  art  thou,  earth,  clad  in  so  bright  array  ; 
And  when  thy  dazzling  beauty  I  survey. 
Enraptured,  I  exclaim — Yes,  thou  art  fair ! 

So  fair  thou  art  even  now  v^hen  on  thy  plains 
Walk  sinful  men,  whose  touch  thy  soil  profanes, 
And  proudly  vaunt  themselves  thy  sovereign  lords. 

But,  earth,  what  wilt  thou  be  when  o'er  thy  fields 
The  hand  of  ransomed  saints  the  sceptre  wields? 
For  that  blest  day  thou  keep'st  thy  bridal  robes. 

My  Father  in  heaven,  I  know  and  have  felt  that  every  object 
in  Thy  glorious  kingdom  may  become  to  us  a  preacher,  and 
that  the  fault  lies  in  our  obdurate  ears  that  nature,  alike  in  her 
loveliness  and  terror,  preaches  to  us  so  little.  All  created 
things  discourse  of  Thy  glory.  Day  utters  it  unto  day,  and 
night  unto  night.  Oh  give  me  a  truly  childlike  heart,  that  I 
may  comprehend  what  they  say !  Vouchsafe  to  me  also  an 
unruffled  mind,  that  in  the  voice  of  the  whole  creation  I  may 
hear  that  of  the  uncreated  God,  who  is  my  Father  and  my 
Lord.  I  will  exercise  my  thoughts  upon  Thy  holy  word  of 
revelation,  that  so  I  may  become  more  intelligent  of  what  it 
may  be  Thy  will  to  say  to  me  from  the  book  of  nature.  And 
above  and  beyond  all  the  loveliness  of  nature  now  displayed 
to  my  view,  vouchsafe  to  me  a  bhssful  presentiment  of  that 
happy  day  when  the  earth,  the  present  cradle  of  fallen  human- 
ity, shall,  along  with  her  Lord,  be  exalted  to  the  imperishable 
glory  which  thou  hast  destined  for  them. 


1 6.    The  Law  of  the  Lord  coiiverteth  the  Soul.       79 

16. 

Srje  Eato  of  tje  Horti  conijcrtetjj  ti^c  ^oul 

5/^j/  ar^  the  righteous,  but  he  well  must  know 
That  which  right  is,  who  what  is  right  would  do. 

Psalm  xix.  Fart  Second. —  Verse  7.  "  The  law  of  the  Lord 
is  without  change,^  converting  the  soul :  the  testimony  of 
the  Lord  is  sure,  making  wise  the  simple." 

LIKE  the  word  of  God  in  nature,  so  likewise  is  His  word 
in  revelation  without  change ;  and  that  is  the  reason 
why  it  recruits  ^  my  soul.  I  need  a  divine  word  which  con- 
tinues always  the  same,  and  which  is  sure.  Man  is  required 
to  build  his  whole  life  upon  religion ;  what  would  become  of 
him  if  religion  itself  rested  on  no  solid  and  immovable  founda- 
tion ?  Oh,  could  I  but  build  all  my  actions  upon  the  Lord's 
unchangeable  law  and  sure  testimony,  how  unchangeable  and 
sure  my  whole  life  itself  would  then  become  !  And  yet  what 
is  this  but  true  wisdom?  I  have  always  figured  to  myself  the 
wise  man  as  one  who  never  needs  to  change  his  principles, 
but  remains  constantly  like  himself.  To  such  a  condition, 
however,  we  can  only  attain  by  founding  our  life  on  a  sure 
testimony  of  God ;  for,  as  King  Solomon  says,  "  All  the  ways 
of  a  man  are  clean  in  his  own  eyes ;  but  the  Lord  alone  maketh 
the  heart  sure."  ^ 

Verses  8,  9.  "  The  statutes  of  the  Lord  are  right,  rejoic- 
ing the  heart :  the  commandment  of  the  Lord  is  pure, 
enlightening  the  eyes.  The  fear  of  the  Lord  is  clean, 
enduring  for  ever :  the  judgments  of  the  Lord  are  true, 
and  righteous  altogether." 

How  delightful  to  me  it  is  that  the  Lord's  commandments 

1  Luther's  vers.  ^  Prov.  xvi.  2 — Luther's  vers. 


8o       1 6.    TJie  Law  of  the  Lord converteth  tJie  Sold. 

are  all  pure  and  clean,  and  true  and  righteous  !  Well  do  I  know 
that  the  knowledge  of  God  and  the  knowledge  of  man  are  the 
two  hinges  on  which  the  door  of  heaven  turns.  But  not  less 
conscious  am  I,  from  my  natural  inclinations,  that  the  thoughts 
which  I  entertain  respecting  myself,  the  world,  and  God,  are 
far  from  being  right;  and  hence  the  continual  desire  I  have  to 
compare  them  with  the  thoughts  of  a  being  who  is  higher  than 
myself.  It  seems  to  me  that  we  can  offer  to  God  no  more 
simple  and  natural  prayer  than  this ; — 

Oh  search  my  inmost  thoughts,  that  they 
May  never  from  Thy  precepts  stray  ; 

Guide  heart  and  mind 

The  truth  to  find. 

Every  day  do  I  experience  that  a  right  point  of  view,  even 
when  I  have  succeeded  in  finding  it,  is  so  apt  to  be  again  lost; 
and  I  see  more  truth  than  I  can  express  in  the  saying  of  the 
apostle  James,  that  when  we  contemplate  our  inner  man,  it 
happens  to  us,  as  it  does  to  him  who  looks  at  his  bodily  face 
in  a  glass  :  "  He  beholdeth  himself,"  are  the  words,  "  and 
goeth  his  way,  and  straightway  forgetteth  what  manner  of  man 
he  was."  ^  Take  a  single  instance  :  I  clearly  see  how  greatly 
we  need  to  call  in  our  scattered  senses,  and  to  concentrate  the 
whole  force  of  our  minds  upon  the  great  task  of  life,  in  order 
to  discharge  it  aright.  And  more  or  less  this  is  a  conviction 
which  many  share.  We  act,  however,  like  men  who,  although 
knowing  that  they  have  a  tower  to  build,  do  yet  in  their  daily 
avocations  make  no  greater  preparation  for  it  than  if  it  were  some 
paltry  hut.  How  needful,  then,  it  is  to  resort  frequently  to  the 
divine  Word,  if  for  nothing  else  than  to  keep  alive  in  our  minds 
the  consciousness  of  what  the  chief  task  of  life  is  !  How  great 
a  boon  it  is  to  possess  commandments  of  God  that  are  alto- 
gether clean  and  pure,  and  true  and  right !  For  even  though 
it  be  said  that  God  is  nothing  but  an  unuttered  sigh  in  every 
human  heart,  who  is  able  to  utter  it  until  the  word  of  revela- 
tion has  taught  him  the  proper  language  ? 
^  James,  i.  23,  24. 


1 6.   The  Law  of  the  Lord  converteth  the  Soul.       8i 

Ve7'se  lo.  *'  More  to  be  desired  are  they  than  gold,  yea, 
than  much  fine  gold :  sweeter  also  than  honey,  and  the 
honeycomb," 

To  utter  with  perfect  sincerity  these  words  of  the  Psalmist 
is  far  from  an  easy  task.  Well  do  we  k7iow  that  we  ought  to  be 
able  to  do  it.  But  are  we  able  ?  It  pertains  to  the  delusion 
by  which  we  are  all  ensnared,  that  we  fancy  ourselves  to  be  as 
much  better  as  we  have  learned  to  kjiow  better  what  it  is  to  be 
so.  Still  I  have  reason  to  praise  the  Lord.  At  one  period  of 
my  life,  no  doubt,  there  were  many  things  which,  in  the  inmost 
recesses  of  my  heart,  I  felt  to  be  dearer  to  me  and  sweeter  to 
my  taste  than  the  word  and  the  commandment  of  my  God, 
and  when  I  could  not  have  understood  at  all  what  the  Psalmist 
here  says.  But  it  is  otherwise  with  me  now,  in  so  far  as  that 
I  can  now  declare  that  I  understand  what  he  avers — nay,  more, 
that  I  feel  it.  Moreover,  I  can  see  what  my  Saviour  means 
when  He  affirms,  *'  My  meat  is  to  do  the  will  of  Him  that  sent 
me."  I  experience  a  blessedness  in  thinking  that  God  has 
revealed  His  will  in  a  sure  word  ;  and  even  when,  in  any  par- 
ticular instance,  it  seems  bitter  to  reduce  it  to  practice,  still 
even  in  this  bitterness  there  is  a  mixture  of  what  is  sweet ;  and 
by  the  grace  of  God  I  hope  to  advance  ever  further  and  further 
in  the  same  way.  Oh  how  abundant  a  source  of  felicity  that 
will  be  ! 

Verses  ii,  12.  "  Moreover  by  them  is  Thy  servant  warned  : 
and  in  keeping  of  them  there  is  great  reward.  Who  can 
understand  his  errors?  Cleanse  Thou  me  from  secret 
faults." 

Great,  no  doubt,  is  the  reward  of  keeping  the  commandments 
even  here  below.  It  always  seems  to  me  to  be  in  itself  a  great 
reward  that  God  counts  us  worthy  of  being  taken  into  His 
service.  I  feel  it  to  be  a  high  honour  when  I  think  that  I  am 
the  servant  of  such  a  Master.     Nay,  rather  are  we  His  childre7t 

F 


Sz       1 6.  T/ie  Law  of  the  Lord  coiiverteth  the  Soul. 

when  we  are  able  heartily  and  willingly  to  do  His  will,  and 
that  is  a  still  more  blessed  reward ;  for  they  who  are  children 
are  likewise  heirs,  yea,  joint-heirs  with  Christ,  the  true  and  the 
only-begotten  Son.^ 

The  warning  given  to  us  by  the  commandments  of  my  God, 
I  will  endeavour  to  improve  as  often  as  I  find  myself  again  in 
danger  of  falling  into  ways  of  my  own.  I  know  that  in  a 
thousand  things  I  am  yet  unacquainted  with  myself,  and  this 
therefore  shall  be  my  daily  prayer  : — 

Eye,  that  on  guile  and  falsehood  cannot  look, 
Blessed  are  they  no  secret  sins  who  brook, 

But,  free  from  sly 

Hypocrisy, 
To  God  and  man  do  what  is  right, 
And  humbly  walk  before  Thy  sight. 

Verse  13.  "  Keep  back  Thy  servant  also  from  presumptuous 
sins ;  let  them  not  have  dominion  over  me  :  then  shall  I 
be  upright,  and  I  shall  be  innocent  from  the  great  trans- 
gression." 

Do  I  still  commit  presumptitous^  or,  in  other  words,  deliber- 
ate sins  ?  Would  to  God  that  I  did  not  !  for  he  who  willingly 
offends  against  any  one  commandment,  is  upon  the  way  to 
commit  the  sin  against  the  Holy  Ghost.  It  is  true  that  this  is 
often  done  by  us  without  our  being  conscious  of  it.  We  prac- 
tise some  self-deception  in  order  to  hang  a  veil  over  the  divine 
commandment,  and  in  this  manner  are  gradually  enticed  into 
acts  which  previously,  with  a  clear  and  unclouded  eye,  we 
looked  upon  as  evil.  And  here  again  it  is  important  that  we 
should  frequently  hold  up  before  our  eyes  the  mirror  of  God's 
Word,  and  submit  to  its  reproofs.  It  may  likewise  have  a 
wholesome  effect  to  cherish,  as  the  pious  Psalmist  does,  a  con- 
tinual mistrust  of  ourselves,  lest  by  ceasing  to  walk  circum- 
spectly we  may  perchance  become  guilty  even  of  the  "great 
transgression."     When  I  question  my  heart  whether  it  would 

1  Rom.  viii.  17. 


1 6.   The  Law  of  the  Lord  converteth  the  Soul.       83 

be  possible  for  me  wholly  to  break  with  Him  whom  at  present 
my  soul  loves  as  its  dearest  portion,  I  am  constrained  to  say 
that  in  myself  1  have  no  certainty  and  confidence  that  I  shall 
always  abide  with  Him.    Such  certainty  I  find  only  in  Himself. 


Verse  14.  ''Let  the  words  of  my  mouth,  and  the  medita- 
tion of  my  heart,  be  acceptable  in  Thy  sight,  O  Lord,  my 
strength,  and  my  Redeemer. 

Yes,  O  my  God,  let  them  be  acceptable  unto  Thee  !  After 
almost  every  quiet  prayer  and  holy  meditation  in  the  divine 
presence,  we  have  the  consciousness  that  there  was  an  ear 
which  heard  us,  and  a  heart  which  received  our  sighs.  The 
effect  of  a  silent  colloquy  with  God  is  so  soothing !  There 
was  a  time  when  I  used  greatly  to  wonder  at  these  words  of 
Luther : — 

Bear  and  forbear  and  silent  be, 
Tell  to  no  man  thy  misery  ; 
Yield  not  in  trouble  to  dismay — 
God  can  deliver  any  day. 

I  wondered,  because  we  feel  the  outpouring  of  grief  into  the 
heart  of  a  friend  to  be  so  sweet.  At  the  same  time,  he 
who  talks  much  of  his  troubles  to  men  is  apt  to  fall  into  a  way 
of  saying  too  little  of  them  to  God;  while,  on  the  other  hand, 
he  who  has  often  experienced  the  blessed  alleviation  which 
flows  from  silent  converse  with  the  Eternal,  loses  much  of  his 
desire  for  the  sympathy  of  his  fellows.  It  appears  to  me  now 
as  if  spreading  out  our  distress  too  largely  before  men,  served 
only  to  make  it  broader,  and  to  take  away  its  zest ;  and  hence 
the  proverb,  *'  Talking  of  trouble  makes  it  double."  On  the 
contrary,  if,  when  in  distress,  we  can  contrive  to  maintain  calm 
composure  of  mind,  and  to  bear  it  always  as  in  the  sight  of 
God,  submissively  waiting  for  succour  from  Him  according  to 
the  words  of  the  Psalmist,  "Truly  my  soul  waiteth  upon  God; 
from  Him  cometh  my  salvation,"  ^ — in  that  case,  the  distress 
1  Psalm  Ixii.  i. 


84       1 6.   TJie  Law  of  the  Lord  coiiverteth  the  Soid. 

neither  extends  in  breadth  nor  sinks  in  depth.  It  lies  upon 
the  surface  of  the  heart  Hke  the  morning  mist,  which  the  sun 
as  it  ascends  dissipates  into  hght  clouds. 

O  thou  Searcher  of  hearts !  let  the  sure  testimony  of  Thy 
Word  make  my  heart  sure,  and  the  purity  of  Thy  command- 
ments purify  and  enhghten  my  eyes.  Thou  knowest  me  better 
than  I  know  myself  Let  Thy  light  shine  even  unto  the  most 
hidden  folds  of  my  soul.  How  different  the  light  in  which  I 
now  appear  from  that  in  which  I  saw  myself  a  year  ago !  and 
yet  I  am  conscious  of  still  wearing  a  mask  which  conceals  me 
from  myself,  and  of  often  trying  to  think  that  I  am  what  I  am 
not.  I  see  the  temptation,  and  yet  cannot  make  my  escape 
from  it.  I  perceive  the  hook  of  Satan,  and  yet  snatch  at  the 
bait.  If  my  rescue  from  these  snares  of  self-deception  de- 
pended upon  efforts  of  my  own,  I  would  give  them  up  in  de- 
spair, for  the  more  I  struggle  the  more  I  become  entangled. 
To  Thee,  then,  O  Lord,  to  Thee  I  turn,  that  Thy  pure  and 
holy  Spirit  may  disclose  to  me  my  secret  faults.  Grant  that 
Thy  divine  Word  may  serve  as  a  bright  mirror  in  which  I 
behold  my  image  in  its  perfect  truth.  Lo,  I  feel  that  I  have 
fortitude  enough  to  condemn  myself,  if  Thy  Word  require  it  at 
my  hands.  It  is  for  truth,  and  tmth  alone,  that  my  soul  is 
athirst.  Even  although  death  be  in  it,  oh,  rather  give  me  death 
with  truth  than  life  with  falsehood  !  It  is  because  I  find  per- 
fect truth  in  Thy  law  that  Thy  law  is  so  sweet  to  me.  That  is 
the  reason  for  which  I  love  it  even  when  it  wrings  every  sub- 
terfuge from  my  hands,  and  tears  asunder  the  veils  behind 
which  I  would  have  concealed  myself  from  Thy  face.  I  am 
willing  to  be  condemned  by  Thee,  because  I  know  that  none 
gain  admission  into  heaven  but  they  who  confess  that  their 
desert  was  hell. 

And  shall  I  never,  then,  O  Lord  my  God,  advance  so  far  as 
to  live  so  much  as  a  single  day  without  sin  in  Thy  sight  ?  Oh, 
if  I  cannot  be  exempt  from  such  sins  as  spring  from  infirmity 
of  the  flesh,  or  indiscretion,  or  sloth,  keep  me  at  least  from 
falling  into  presumptuous  sins !      Above   all   that,  however, 


I/.  Meditate  in  His  Law  day  and  night.  85 

above  and  beyond  my  transgressions,  both  little  and  great, 
above  my  self-reproaches  and  self-exculpations,  lies  the  confi- 
dence towards  Thee  which  through  Christ  Jesus  I  am  privileged 
to  entertain.  Forbid  that  the  corrections  of  Thy  Word  should 
ever  make  me  forget  its  consolations ;  for  although  it  behoves 
us  to  condemn  ourselves,  we  must  do  it  only  in  order  to  be 
justified  by  Thee.  Alas  for  man  !  how  apt  he  is  to  overlook 
the  one  of  these  things  in  the  other  !  and  yet  they  are  both 
alike  indispensable  for  his  salvation.  O  Lord,  guide  me  by 
Thy  Spirit,  that  on  the  narrow  way  I  may  turn  aside  neither  to 
the  right  hand  nor  to  the  left. 


17. 

^etiitatc  m  i^is  ilaln  tiag  anti  niufjt, 

I  am  a  dry  and  withered  stock  ! 

I  hear  thee  still  complain  ; 
But pla7it  thee  by  the  water-brook, 

And  thoti  It  grow  green  again. 

Psalm  i.  i,  2.  "  Blessed  is  the  man  that  walketh  not  in  the 
counsel  of  the  ungodly,  nor  standeth  in  the  way  of  sinners, 
nor  sitteth  in  the  seat  of  the  scornful.  But  his  delight  is 
in  the  law  of  the  Lord ;  and  in  His  law  doth  he  meditate 
day  and  night." 

FULL  well  did  godly  men,  even  under  the  Old  Testament, 
discern  how  precious  a  gift  the  grace  of  God  has  pro- 
vided for  us  in  His  Word ;  and  gladly  did  they  forsake  all 
other  company  in  order  to  commune  with  Him  there.  How 
poor  a  novice,  then,  must  I  be,  who  still  pant  so  eagerly  for  the 
companionship  of  men,  though  I  have  the  offer  of  companion- 
ship so  delightful  with  the  good  of  all  ages,  and  with  Him  who 


86  ly.  Meditate  in  His  Law  day  and  night. 

is  my  God  and  my  Lord  !  Of  what  sort  are  the  companies 
into  which  I  go  ?  Do  I  always  return  from  them  more  com- 
posed, more  devout,  or  in  any  way  a  better  man  ?  And  if  not, 
does  the  fault  lie  wholly  with  the  persons  whom  I  meet?  No; 
I  am  persuaded  that  if  all  were  right  with  myself — if  on  these 
occasions  I  were  to  bear  in  remembrance  all  that  has  been 
done  for  me — even  the  counsel  of  the  ungodly  might  then 
prove  to  me  a  counsel  for  good.  But,  alas  !  how  often  do  I 
barter  my  birthright  for  a  mess  of  pottage  :  lay  myself,  like 
Samson,  in  Delilah's  lap, — and  when  the  cry  is  heard,  "  The 
Philistines  be  upon  thee!''  and  Samson  awakes,  behold,  his 
strength  is  departed  from  him  ! 

The  pious  Psalmist  possessed  only  the  Old  Testament,  and 
yet  felt  himself  rich  and  happy  in  possessing  it,  although  to  its 
disciples  the  Old  Testament  was  a  schoolmaster  stern  and 
severe.  I  possess  the  benign  and  precious  Gospel,  and  yet  I 
am  far  from  valuing  it  as  I  ought.  It  was  a  saying  of  Luther 
that  "  Holy  Scripture  is  a  sweet-scented  herb,  and  that  the 
more  you  rub  it,  the  more  it  emits  its  fragrance."  Alas  !  never, 
certainly,  have  I  rubbed  it  enough ;  I  still  cleave  so  much  to 
the  ingenious  thoughts  of  men  and  the  deep  things  of  the 
learned.  And  yet  the  Bible  alone  is  a  deep  ocean ;  whereas 
learned  men,  even  when  their  cogitations  are  shrewdest,  are 
mere  water-cisterns,  which  in  seasons  of  need  sometimes  run 
dry  and  sometimes  congeal.  In  approaching  the  Word  of  God, 
I  must  empty  myself  of  my  own  thoughts  and  imaginations 
far  more  than  I  have  ever  done ;  for  when  our  hands  are  full 
we  can  receive  no  more.  I  take  too  little  pains  with  the 
Word,  forgetting  that  he  who  desires  to  drink  new  wine  must 
not  decline  the  labour  of  treading  the  press.  The  Psalmist 
says  that  "in  God's  law  he  doth  meditate ;"  and  ought  we  not 
to  go  earnestly  to  work  with  His  Word,  seeing  that  it  is  written, 
"  O  Lord,  how  great  are  Thy  words  I  and  Thy  thoughts  are  very 
deep.  A  bnitish  nia7i  knoweth  not,  neither  doth  a  fool  unde7'stand 
this'"l^    Ye  proud  masters  who  treat  the  blessed  Word  of  God 

1  Psalm  xcii.  5,  6 — I^uther's  vers. 


I/.  Meditate  in  His  Law  day  and  flight.  8/ 

as  if  it  were  a  mere  alphabet-book  for  children,  and  for  no 
better  reason  than  because  you  are  yourselves  mere  A-B-C-Da- 
rians  in  divine  things,  how  will  the  saying  of  the  Psalmist  one 
day  rise  up  and  bear  testimony  against  you  ?  As  yet,  like  the 
water-spider,  you  have  but  glided  fleetly  over  the  surface  of 
this  ocean.  Oh  that  you  would  attempt  even  for  once  to  dive 
into  its  depths  ! 

We  are  surprised  that  so  little  of  the  faith  of  our  fathers 
is  to  be  found  amongst  us.  But  what  else  save  little  of  their 
faith  can  there  be,  seeing  that  there  is  amongst  us  so  little  of 
their  habit  oi prayer  and  meditation  upon  God's  Word  and  law  ? 
Need  we  wonder  that  the  children  can  no  more  wage  wars  like 
those  of  which  they  hear  their  fathers  discourse,  when  they 
refuse  to  practise  the  martial  exercises  in  which  their  fathers 
were  trained  ?  We  complain  of  being  so  overburdened  with 
work  that  we  have  no  leisure  for  prayer  and  meditation  on  the 
Word ;  and  yet  we  read  of  a  man  who  had  a  task  upon  his 
shoulders  that  would  have  been  too  heavy  for  ten  of  us,  but  of 
whom  one  of  his  familiar  friends  has  borne  testimony  that  he 
did  not  allow  a  single  day  to  pass  without  devoting  to  prayer 
at  least  three  of  the  hours  most  convenient  for  the  purpose.^ 

Verse  3.  "And  he  shall  be  like  a  tree  planted  by  the  rivers 
of  water,  that  bringeth  forth  his  fruit  in  his  season ;  his 
leaf  also  shall  not  wither ;  and  whatsoever  he  doeth  shall 
prosper." 

How  good  a  thing  it  must  be  when  a  man  resembles  the 
tree  here  described,  which  always,  as  the  season  when  it  is  due 
arrives,  brings  forth  its  fruit,  and  whose  leaves  do  not  wither ! 
To  make  this,  however,  possible,  the  tree  must  be  planted  by 
the  rivers  of  water,  in  order  that  there  may  be  a  continual  sup- 
ply of  fresh  moisture  to  the  root.  How  apt,  then,  the  figure, 
when  the  pious  Psalmist  here  compares  the  Holy  Scriptures  to 
such  a  water-brook  !  Oh  what  a  flood  of  power  and  life 
1  Veit  Dietrich  in  the  8th  Sermon  of  Mathesius. 


88  I/.  Meditate  i7t  His  Law  day  and  night. 

streams  in  upon  a  man  when  the  Word  of  God,  as  the  apostle 
expresses  it,  is  mixed  with  faith  in  his  heart  !  He  thereby 
acquires  a  sort  of  ifivincibility,  so  that  with  the  Bible  in  his 
hand  he  can  put  to  flight  his  weakness,  his  sloth,  gloomy- 
thoughts,  temptations  of  the  flesh,  and  all  his  spiritual  enemies, 
be  they  however  strong  or  subtle,  and  called  by  whatsoever 
name.  Just  as  our  Lord  and  Master  showed  in  His  own 
temptation,  when,  with  no  other  sword  and  buckler  but  the 
Word,  He  discomfited  Satan.  How  happy  the  man  would  be 
who,  amidst  life's  troubles  and  conflicts,  could  adopt  the 
language  of  good  Dr  Luther  and  say,  "  The  Lord  not  only 
acts  as  the  shepherd  of  the  Christian  flock,  but  hkewise  gives 
His  rod  and  staff,  which  means  His  JVord,  that  it  may  be  to 
them  a  sword  I  And  this  weapon  they  carry  not  in  their  hand, 
but  in  their  mouth,  and  with  it  do  not  only  comfort  them  that 
mourn,  but  likewise  put  the  devil,  with  all  his  emissaries,  be 
they  ever  so  subtle  and  keen,  to  rout.  In  this  way,  by  the 
grace  of  God,  I  have  kept  my  feet  for  these  eighteen  years 
past,  and  have  allowed  my  enemies  continually  to  rage  and 
threaten,  slander,  condemn,  devise  wicked  plots  and  machina- 
tions, and  practise  all  kinds  of  villany  against  me.  I  have 
allowed  them  anxiously  to  perplex  their  minds  with  schemes 
to  take  away  my  life  and  uproot  my  doctrine,  or,  as  I  ought 
rather  to  say,  God's ;  and  yet  all  the  while  I  was  happy  and  in 
good  spirits,  though  better,  no  doubt,  at  one  time  than  another, 
and  gave  little  heed  to  their  bluster  and  rage,  but  kept  hold 
of  the  rod  of  comfort  and  sat  at  the  Lord's  table — by  which  I 
mean  that  I  committed  to  Him  the  cause  in  which,  without 
desire  or  intention  of  mine,  He  had  enlisted  me — and  mean- 
while repeated  to  Him  a  paternoster  or  a  psalm." 

Here,  my  dear  readers,  you  have  a  specimen  of  the  peculiar 
power  derived  from  the  fresh  water-brooks  when  a  man  plants 
himself  beside  them,  and  has  his  root  nourished  by  the  Word 
of  God.     And  wherever  such  power  reigns  in  the  heart,  there,] 
without  fail,  does  a  man  also  bring  forth  fruit  in  /lis  season  ;\ 
which  means,  that  whatever  it  be  which  duty  calls  upon  him] 


I  J.  Meditate  in  His  Law  day  and  night.  89 

at  any  time  to  do,  he  then  finds  himself  competent  for  the 
task,  because  he  continues  always  fresh.  Christian  faith  gives 
brightness  to  the  eyes  and  colour  to  the  cheeks ;  whereas  he 
who  lives  without  the  Word  of  God  is  one  whose  calendar, 
every  day  and  hour,  shows  a  change  of  weather,  and  whose 
whole  life  is  one  long  April  month,  when  sunshine  and  snow- 
drift, fresh  growth  and  sear  decay,  perpetually  succeed  each 
other.  This,  however,  is  a  secret  which  must  not  be  divulged 
to  the  world,  and  therefore  he  must  needs  have  recourse  to 
paint,  that  he  may  present  a  decent  appearance  when  he  goes 
into  company ;  and  thus,  at  last,  he  learns  to  tell  lies  to  him- 
self. I  have  read  of  a  celebrated  man  ^  that,  when  about  to 
expire,  he  cried  out  in  sore  distress,  '*  Give  me  great  thoughts.^' 
Now  no  one  doubts  that  great  thoughts  are  like  sea- waves 
which  bear  proud  vessels  aloft,  or  like  the  cool  shade  of  the 
fig-tree  in  a  sultry  day,  or  like  noble  elms  on  which  the  vine 
can  fasten  for  support.  Great  thoughts  train  a  man  to  great- 
ness; but  what  are  all  the  great  thoughts  in  the  world  compared 
with  God's  eternal  thoughts  of  peace  disclosed  to  us  in  the 
Gospel?  When  it  is  with  these  that  the  Christian  moistens 
the  roots  of  his  existence — when  these  are  what  he  makes  his 
prop  and  stay,  and  on  which  he  climbs  aloft — when  these  are 
what  he  keeps  perpetually  before  the  eyes  of  his  soul — he 
cannot  fail  to  acquire  an  inward  steadfastness.  Such  an  one 
can  never  wither ;  and,  moreover,  whatsoever  he  doeth  must 
prosper.  Why  do  other  people  not  prosper  in  their  doings  ? 
The  reason  is,  because  they  have  no  one  to  cofitrol  their 
thoughts :  in  other  words,  in  place  of  being  governed  by  the 
eternal  thoughts  of  God,  they  have  many  masters,  and  many 
of  these  are  unwise,  and  suggest  to  them  some  new  folly  every 
hour.  Will  you  never  learn  how  pitiable  a  creature  he  is  who 
allows  himself  to  be  driven  and  tossed  about  by  every  momen- 
tary freak,  every  gust  of  humour  and  desire,  as  the  wave  is 
seized  and  tossed  by  the  whirlwind  ?  This  is  what  the  Psalmist 
expresses  with  still  greater  force  in  the  following  words  : — 

1  Herder. 


90  I/.  Meditate  in  His  Law  day  and  night. 

Verse  4.     "  The  ungodly  are  not  so  :  but  are  like  the  chaff 
which  the  wind  driveth  away." 

How  singularly  true  !  Ungodly  or  Godi-less  is  equivalent  in 
meaning  to  root-/^j-i-,  which  implies  that  they  are  the  sport  of 
all  the  winds  of  caprice  and  accident.  When  I  observe  the 
persons  who  do  not  make  the  divine  Word  the  rule  of  their 
life,  I  see  in  by  far  the  most  of  them  the  mere  reflection  of  the 
circumstances  by  which  they  are  surrounded,  and  of  the  events 
in  which  they  are  involved.  They  do  not  themselves  know 
what  they  shall  be  next  year,  or  even  to-morrow.  As  for 
others,  to  whom  this  description  may  not  apply,  it  may  be  that 
they  really  have  a  compass  to  direct  their  course ;  but  it  is 
that  of  the  world,  and  is  contained  in  the  following  proverb : — 

/,  7ne,  and  7?iine,  those  mighty  powers, 
Rule,  at  their  will,  this  world  of  ours. 

The  vast  majority,  however,  do  not  follow  even  that  com- 
pass, but  are  like  the  chaff  which  the  least  breath  of  wind 
disperses  on  every  side.  "  I  hate  vain  thoughts  ;  but  Thy  law 
do  I  love,"  ^  says  the  Psalmist  in  another  passage,  but  to  the 
same  effect — viz.,  that  the  man  in  whom  the  law  of  the  Loi'd 
does  not  wield  the  sceptre,  is  like  a  ship  without  a  pilot,  or  a 
pilot  without  a  compass,  or  a  compass  without  a  needle.  An 
Eastern  poet  has  said — 

Man's  heart  is  like  the  apple 

Which  to  and  fro  is  driven, 
On  some  deserted  heath, 

By  the  four  winds  of  heaven. 
Man's  heart  is  like  the  water 

That  seethes  in  a  pot, 
And  sinks  and  bubbles  up 

As  the  fire  grows  cold  or  hot. 

It  thus  appears  that  that  which  the  human  heart  lacks,  and 
which  it  has  most  need  to  obtain,  has  been  recognised  by  man 
from  where  the  sun  rises  to  where  it  sets.  The  only  thing  they 
did  not  know  was  where  to  find  it. 

1  Psalm  cxix.  113. 


I/.  Meditate  in  His  Law  day  and  night.  91 

Verses  5,6.  "  Therefore  the  ungodly  shall  not  stand  in  the 
judgment,  nor  sinners  in  the  congregation  of  the  righteous. 
For  the  Lord  knoweth  the  way  of  the  righteous  ;  but  the 
way  of  the  ungodly  shall  perish." 

If  we  compare  the  way  of  the  ungodly  with  that  of  the 
children  of  God  in  their  journey  through  the  world,  it  certainly 
does  appear  as  if  the  former  were  never  at  a  loss  for  a  path  on 
which  to  go  ;  just  as  the  Lord  on  a  certain  occasion  said  to  His 
yet  unbelieving  brethren,  ''Your  time  is  alway  ready."  ^  The 
way  of  the  righteous,  however,  which  is  the  way  of  divine 
prescription,  is  rough,  uphill,  and  narrow,  and  often  without 
any  visible  outlet.  Nevertheless,  while  he  is  looking  anxiously 
around,  and  his  heart  faints  and  fears,  the  eye  of  God  has  long 
seen  where  it  is  to  terminate,  and  to  terminate  in  triumph ; 
whereas  the  broad  way  of  the  ungodly  perishes. 

From  depths  to  many  a  wondrous  height, 

From  straits  to  places  wide, 
To  show  the  wonders  of  His  might. 

The  Lord  His  folk  doth  guide. 

Forward,  then,  thou  faint  and  trembling  heart — still  forward 
upon  the  path  of  duty — the  path  prescribed  by  God  !  Thou 
canst  not  see  the  issue,  but  His  eye  has  seen  it  long  ago.  His 
world  has  been  so  arranged,  that  upon  the  path  of  duty,  and 
upon  that  path  alone,  can  the  blissful  goal  be  reached.  A 
pious  Israelite  of  the  olden  time  has  said  that  "  the  world  is 
founded  upon  the  law  of  Moses,"  which  means  nothing  else 
than  that  the  path  of  duty  and  integrity  cannot  ultimately  con- 
duct to  any  but  the  happiest  end. 

O  consolatory  thought  that  "  the  Lord  knoweth  my  way  f"  I 
will  therefore  no  longer  stop  or  linger  for  a  moment,  even 
though  to  my  own  timid  eye  the  path  of  duty  may  seem  to  be 
leading  me  into  the  yawning  abyss.  The  Lord  knoweth  7ny  way, 
and  everything  in  the  world ;  yea,  the  whole  creation  must 
become  ministering  angels  to  those  who  follow  the  direction  of 

1  John,  vii.  6. 


92  I/.  Meditate  in  His  Law  day  and  night. 

His  law.  He  who  gave  the  commandments  is  the  self-same 
God  who  guides  with  His  hand  all  the  powers  of  earth  and 
heaven. 

"  The  way  of  the  ungodly  shall  perish ^  For  a  little  it  may 
still  continue,  but  perish  it  one  day  shall,  and  that  in  terror. 
It  sometimes  appears  as  if  the  Lord  had  forgotten  His  sacred 
office  of  judge,  although,  certainly.  He  will  let  nothing  escape 
Him  at  the  last.  But  not  seldom,  on  the  other  hand,  it  appears 
as  if  even  here  in  time,  while  he  is  confidently  walking  upon 
the  broad  way,  the  ungodly  man  felt  a  presentiment  that  that 
way  is,  ere  long,  suddenly  to  perish.  For  do  we  not  occasion- 
ally observe  in  the  lives  of  persons  who  are  utterly  forgetful  of 
God,  and  already  hardened  in  their  minds,  an  inward  hesita- 
tion and  uncertainty,  so  that  they  all  at  once  stand  still  like 
one  awaking  out  of  sleep,  into  which  he  immediately  sinks 
back?  And  are  not  these,  as  it  were,  moments  in  which  some 
single  solemn  toll  of  the  bell  that  is  to  ring  in  the  general 
judgment  is  wafted  to  their  ear  ?  "  The  way  of  the  Lord  is 
strength  to  the  upright,  but  the  workers  of  iniquity  are  of  faint 
heart."  i 

Cherish,  my  soul,  the  elevating  thought 
That  on  the  Word  is  built  the  world  of  God  ; 
And  that  though  nature's  frame  asunder  break, 
On  duty's  path  I'm  safe  amid  the  wreck. 
Be  not  dismayed  though  in  the  conflict  dire 
.  Truth's  cause  may  seem — it  seems  but^to  expire. 
The  ark  of  God  unharmed  survives  the  fray, 
And  all  earth's  crowns  the  crown  of  Christ  obey. 


1  Prov.  X.  29 — Luther's  vers. 


i8.  /  am  not  come  to  destroy  the  Law,  &c.  93 

18. 

31  am  not  come  to  tiestrog  t!je  Hato  antJ  tje  propfjets. 


i^^V^  /  ^at/^  the  picture  bright, 
And  care  not  on  the  sketch  to  look. 
Yet  even  the  sketch  is  worth  a  sight  ; 
It  shows  the  pains  the  painter  took. 

Matt.  v.  17.  "Think  not  that  I  am  come  to  destroy  the 
law,  or  the  prophets :  I  am  not  come  to  destroy,  but  to 
fulfil." 

Rom.  XV.  4.  "Whatsoever  things  were  written  aforetime 
were  written  for  our  learning,  that  we  through  patience 
and  comfort  of  the  Scriptures  might  have  hope." 

SUCH  is  the  divine  seal  which  the  mouth  of  truth  has 
impressed  upon  the  Old  Testament,  in  order  that  we  may 
never  treat  with  indifference  or  contempt  those  writings  which 
the  Saviour  read  as  the  book  of  His  heavenly  Father.  In 
general  it  was  not  to  destroy  that  He — the  epitome  of  all  truth 
— appeared  on  earth.  He  came  to  fill  up  any  outline  of  truth 
already  existing,  and  to  make  of  it  a  picture  replete  with  life 
and  power.  As  the  stars  do  not  really  lose  their  light  at  the 
rising  of  the  sun,  but  only  lose  it  to  our  eyes,  so  is  it  with  all 
the  sparks  of  truth  which  were  scattered  abroad  in  the  world 
when  the  sun  of  Christ  arose  ;  they  still  possess  a  glory — but 
then,  as  the  apostle  says,  their  glory  is  not  to  be  considered  a 
glory  when  compared  with  that  which  excelleth.  ^  Oh  that  I 
had  eyes  to  see  the  divine  light  which  already  shone  in  Moses 
and  the  prophets  !  God  of  the  fathers,  teach  me  devoutly  to 
read  that  book  which  was  devoutly  read  by^my  Saviour.  O 
Thou  God  of  Abraham,  and  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  Thy  testimonies 
have  I  taken  as  an  heritage  for  ever,  for  they  are  the  rejoicing 

1  2  Cor.  iii,  lo. 


94  1 8.  I  am  not  come  to  destroy 

of  my  heart.  "  Whatsoever  things  were  written  aforetime  were 
written  for  our  learning,  that  we  through  patience  and  comfort 
of  the  Scriptures  might  have  hope."  ^  "  Open  Thou  mine  eyes, 
that  I  may  behold  wondrous  things  out  of  Thy  law."  ^ 

How  marvellous  a  temple  of  God  is  Scripture  from  its  first 
commencement  to  its  final  close !  It  is  coextensive  with  the  his- 
tory of  the  world,  and  accompanies,  as  it  were,  the  human  race 
from  their  origin  to  their  end.  "  In  the  beginning  God  created 
the  heavens  and  the  earth,"  are  its  opening  words  ;  and  it  termi- 
nates with  a  description  of  the  period  when  New  Jerusalem, 
the  holy  city,  shall  come  down  from  God  out  of  heaven,  and  the 
Lord  God  shall  give  light  to  His  people,  and  they  shall  reign  for 
ever  and  ever.^  That  is  one  broad  characteristic  which  even  an 
eye  penetrating  no  deeper  than  the  surface  can  scarcely  fail  to 
observe  in  the  Book  of  God.  I  read  in  an  author,  to  whom  even 
the  children  of  the  world  bend  those  knees  which  they  refuse 
to  bend  to  Christ,  as  follows  :  "  The  high  veneration  which  has 
been  paid  to  the  Bible  by  so  many  of  the  nations  and  kindreds 
of  the  earth,  is  due  to  its  intrinsic  worth.  It  is  not  merely  a 
kind  of  national  book,  but  it  is  the  book  of  the  nations  ;  ex- 
hibiting, as  it  does,  the  fortunes  of  one  of  these  as  the  symbol 
of  all  the  rest,  connecting  its  history  with  the  origin  of  the 
world,  and  through  a  gradual  succession  of  temporal  and  spir- 
itual evolutions  and  of  necessary  and  casual  events,  carrying  it 
forward  to  the  remotest  ages  of  eternity."^ 

How  closely  are  the  Old  and  New  Testaments  connected 
with  each  other,  so  that  it  is  impossible  to  tear  them  asunder  ! 
*'  Behold,  I  will  send  you  Elijah  the  prophet  before  the  coming 
of  the  great  and  dreadful  day  of  the  Lord,"  is  the  promise  with 
which  the  Old  Testament  concludes  ;  ^  and  with  the  account  of 
how  this  same  Elijah  came  and  preached  repentance  the  New 
Testament  begins.*^  As  the  light  shines  dimly  at  the  dawn, 
and  then  the  morning  star  appears,  and  then  at  last  comes  the 
perfect  day,  so  likewise  is  it  with  that  long  series  of  divine 

1  Rom.  XV,  4.  2  Ps   cxix.  18.  ^  Rev.  xxi.  2  ;  xxii.  5. 

^  Goethe.  ^  Mai.  iv.  5.  '°  Matt,  iii.  2;  xi.  14;  xvii.  11. 


the  Law  and  the  Prophets.  95 

messengers  of  whom  it  is  written, — "  God,  who  at  sundry  times 
and  in  divers  manners  spake  in  time  past  unto  the  fathers  by 
the  prophets,  hath  in  these  last  days  spoken  unto  us  by  His 
Son."  1 

The  Lord  has  "fulfilled  the  law  and  the  prophets."  Even 
the  Old  Testament  itself  is  a  fulfilment.  There  are  two  voices 
in  every  human  breast,  the  voice  of  co7iscience  and  the  voice  of 
desire^  and  both  of  these  it  has  fulfilled,  and  given  to  them  a 
clear  utterance.  Although  in  characters  indistinct,  a  divine 
law"  stands  written  in  every  breast  of  man.  That  law  has  now 
been  written  clearly  and  unmistakably  upon  stone  and  parch- 
ment, that  we  may  no  longer  deny  its  existence  to  ourselves. 
It  says.  Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  hearty  and 
with  all  thy  soid^  a7id  with  all  thy  might ;  and  likewise,  Thou 
shalt  love  thy  neighbour  as  thyself.^  And  is  not  this  the  sum 
and  substance  of  all  commandments  which  can  possibly  be 
delivered  to  man,  as  indeed  our  Lord  showed  when  in  these 
two  He  comprised  the  whole  law  ?  ^  But  along  with  the  voice 
which  tells  us  what  we  ought  to  be,  yet  what  we  are  not,  there 
is  also  another  which  makes  itself  heard  in  every  human  heart, 
and  which  affords  us  a  glimmer  of  hope  that  our  trespasses 
shall  not  separate  us  for  ever  from  our  God,  and  that  we  shall 
at  least  one  day  become  what  we  ought  to  be.  This  boding 
voice  of  desire,  which,  though  feeble  and  confused,  resounds 
through  the  successive  generations  of  our  race,  has  also  met  its 
fulfilment  in  the  Old  Testament.  There,  there  are  voices  which 
clearly  and  unmistakably  speak  of  the  time  when  "  there  shall 
be  a  fountain  open  to  the  ijihabitatits  of  Jerusalein  for  sin  and  for 
uncleanfiess '' ^ — of  a  time  when  of  the  city  of  God  upon  earth 
it  shall  be  said,  ^^  Thy  people  shall  be  all  righteous :  they  shall 
inherit  the  la?td  for  ever,  the  branch  of  my  planting,  the  work  of 
my  hands,  that  1  may  be  glorified.""  ^  But  the  law  and  prophecy 
of  the  Old  Testament  are  themselves  only  shadows  of  the  good 
things  to  come,  of  which  the  substance  is  Christ.^     It  was  in 

1  Heb.  i.  I,  2  Rom.  ii.  15.  ^  Deut.  vi.  5 ;  Lev.  xix.  18. 

4  Mark,  xii.  29-31.        ^  Zech.  xiii.  i.  ^  Isa.  Ix.  21.        '      ^  Heb.  x.  i. 


96  i8.  /  am  not  come  to  destroy 

Him,  our  Saviour,  that  the  fountain  for  sin  and  uncleanness  was 
opened.  It  was  from  His  mouth  that  the  prophecy  came, 
"  Where  I  am" — and  we  may  be  allowed  to  subjoin,  such  as  I 
am — "  there  "  and  such  '•'  also  shall  my  servant  be."  And  ever 
since  we  obtained  this  hope,  even  the  law  is  no  longer  a 
shadow  for  us  who  are  Christians.  It  has  been  quickened 
into  life.  For  now  we  can  address  each  other  in  the  words  of 
John  and  say,  "  Little  children  let  us  love  Him,  for  He  first 
loved  us;"  and  wherever  such  a  love  as  this  is  felt,  there  the 
law  no  longer  stands  inscribed  upon  the  table  of  stone — there 
it  is  written  by  the  Holy  Ghost  upon  the  hearts  of  men,  as  the 
voice  of  prophecy  promised  that  it  should  one  day  be.  Hear 
the  words :  ''  I  will  make  a  new  covenant,  not  according  to 
the  covenant  that  I  made  with  their  fathers  in  the  day  that 
I  took  them  by  the  hand,  to  bring  them  out  of  the  land  of 
Egypt ;  which  my  covenant  they  brake,  although  I  was  an  hus- 
band unto  them,  saith  the  Lord  :  but  this  shall  be  the  covenant 
that  I  will  make  with  the  house  of  Israel ;  After  those  days, 
saith  the  Lord,  I  will  put  my  law  in  their  inward  parts,  and 
write  it  in  their  hearts  \  and  will  be  their  God,  and  they  shall 
be  my  people."  ^ 

The  prophecies,  however,  are  by  no  means  the  only  part  of 
the  Old  Testament  in  which  the  shadows  of  the  good  things  to 
come  have  been  enshrined.  In  point  of  fact,  the  people  of 
God,  with  the  whole  of  their  religious  rites,  and  even  the  events 
of  their  history,  constitute  an  adumbration  of  future  blessings 
and  of  future  times.  The  utterances  of  the  prophets  appear 
merely  as  bright  spots,  in  which  the  spirit  which  pervades  the 
whole  of  that  ancient  economy  concentrates  its  power  and 
energies  more  clearly  into  view.  "  Ye  shall  be  unto  me  a 
kingdom  of  priests  and  an  holy  nation  : "  is  not  that  a  descrip- 
tion of  the  "spiritual  Israel"  whom  Christ  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment has  made  a  royal  priesthood  ?  ^  And  as  to  their  rites  of 
worship,  oh,  when  it  is  given  to  any  of  us  to  catch  a  glimpse 
of  the  awful  mysteries  which  are  hidden  in  them,  how  do  we 

2  Gal.  vi.  16 ;  i  Pet.  ii.  9 ;  Rev.  v.  10. 


the  Law  and  the  Prophets.  97 

then  exclaim  with  David,  "  One  thing  have  I  desired  of  the 
Lord,  that  will  I  seek  after ;  that  I  may  dwell  in  the  house  of 
the  Lord  all  the  days  of  my  life,  to  behold  the  beauty  of  the 
Lord,  and  to  inquire  in  His  temple  " !  ^ 

In  the  Temple  there  was  t\\Q  fore-court  of  the  tabernacle  for 
the  people,  typifying  those  who  outwardly  belong  to  the  holy 
nation,  but  who  have  not  yet  become  priestly  souls,  qualified 
to  offer  acceptable  sacrifices  to  God.  There  was  next  the 
holy  place,  into  which  the  priests  alone  were  admitted,  pre- 
figuring those  who,  like  priests,  make  their  lives  a  continual 
act  of  religious  worship,  and  present  to  the  Lord  the  spiritual 
oblations  with  which  He  is  well  pleased.^  There  was  then 
thQ  holiest  of  all,  from  which  even  the  priests  were  debarred, 
and  into  which  only  the  high  priest  was  permitted  to  enter, 
and  he  only  once  a-year,  prefiguring  the  Church  made  perfect 
— that  Church  which  is  hereafter  to  see  what  here  on  earth 
was  the  object  of  its  faith ;  just  as  in  the  Apocalypse  the  eyes 
of  the  seer  behold  the  temple  of  God  opened  in  heaven — 
that  true  holy  of  holies — and  in  it  the  ark  of  His  testament.^ 
In  the  fore-court  stood  the  laver,  in  which  it  behoved  the 
priests  to  wash  their  hands  and  feet  before  they  entered  the 
holy  place;  also  the  altar  of  burnt-offering,  on  which  were 
presented  the  sacrifices  foreshadowing  the  great  oblation  of 
Christ.  In  the  holy  place  was  set  the  table  with  the  twelve 
loaves  of  showbread — the  offering  made  by  Israel  to  the  Lord, 
and  typifying  the  good  works  with  which  He  is  well  pleased. 
There,  also,  stood  the  golden  candlestick  with  the  seven  lamps 
to  give  light  to  the  apartment,  from  which  all  light  from  with- 
out was  excluded,  and  typifying  the  divine  Word,  by  whose  light 
priestly  souls  are  guided  on  their  way.  Finally,  in  the  holy  place 
there  was  likewise  the  altar  of  incense,  whose  fragrant  smoke  as- 
cended to  heaven,  and  was  a  figure  of  the  prayers  of  the  saints.* 
In  the  awful  darkness  of  the  most  holy  place  stood  the  ark  of 
the  covenant,  over  which  the  presence  of  the  Lord  was  en- 

1  Psalm  xxvii.  4.  ^  i  Peter  ii.  5. 

3  Rev.  xi,  19.  4  Psalm  cxli.  2  ;  Rev.  viii.  4. 


98  i8.  /  am  not  come  to  destroy  the  Law,  &c. 

throned  and  gave  forth  its  oracles,  and  in  it  the  sacred  chest 
containing  the  law,  upon  which  the  covenant  of  the  Lord  with 
His  people  was  founded — the  chest  being  for  that  reason  called 
the  ark  of  the  covejiant,  or  of  the  testimo7iy  of  God,  to  signify  that 
the  connection  of  the  Lord  with  His  people  rests  upon  the  eter- 
nal pillars  of  the  law  and  its  observance.  Above  it,  made  of  pure 
and  massive  gold,  was  the  lid  of  the  mercy-seat  overshadowed  by 
the  wings  of  the  cherubim,  whose  fourfold  face  of  a  lion,  an  ox, 
an  eagle,  and  a  man — severally  emblematical  of  the  qualities  of 
majesty,  strength,  freedom,  and  intelligence  in  the  creatures — 
pictured  forth  the  creation  itself;  while  above  them  brooded  the 
mysterious  presence  of  the  Lord  of  hosts — the  whole  forming  a 
representation  of  the  reign  of  the  invisible  Jehovah  over  all  that 
He  has  made,  and  of  which  the  foundations  are  grace  and  law. 
We  have  to  mention,  also,  those  manifold  sacrifices  ordained 
for  all  sorts  of  transgression — the  thank-offerings — the  praises 
— and  the  sin  offerings — all  intended  to  supplement  what  is 
lacking  in  our  poor  gratitude,  praises,  and  affection,  and  to  take 
away  the  guilt  of  sin.  What  are  they,  with  their  perpetual 
repetitions,  but  a  weak  adumbration  of  that  perfect  sacrifice 
which  has  been  offered  by  the  High  Priest  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment, who  could  say,  "  Lo,  I  come  to  do  Thy  will,  O  God!  "^ 
for  that  is  the  sacrifice  which  has  given  to  these  shadowy  em- 
blems their  perfect  truth. 

Yes,  it  is  a  sacred  allegory  which  speaks  to  me  from  all  the 
institutions  and  narratives  of  the  Old  Testament,  and  by  which 
I  also  ought  to  be  drawn  towards  Him  who  has  brought  into 
the  world  the  substance  of  the  good  things  which  were  to  come. 
How  it  teaches  me  to  adore  the  preceptive  grace  of  God,  who 
was  pleased  in  this  manner  to  train  and  prepare  mankind  for 
the  revelation  of  the  mystery  which  in  the  silence  of  His  bosom 
had  been  kept  secret  ^  since  the  world  began  !  How  I  learn 
from  it  to  hope  that  the  God  who  so  faithfully  reared  His  child 
Israel  until  the  time  came  for  taking  the  bandage  from  his 
eyes,  will  also  train  me,  feeding  me  with  milk  so  long  as  I  am 
1  Heb.  X.  9.  ^  Rom.  xvi.  25. 


ig.  0  Lord,  Thy  Thoughts  are  very  deep.  99 

still  a  babe  and  until  I  am  fit  for  stronger  meat,  even  that 
perfect  word  of  righteousness !  ^  Go  with  me,  Thou  God 
of  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob  !  Open  mine  eyes,  and  teach 
me  to  see  wondrous  things  out  of  the  law. 


19. 

<B  Horb,  Ei)2  Ej)0U5{jts  are  faerg  tiecp. 

So  vast  the  fabric,  that  our  feeble  eyes 
Attempt  in  vain  to  grasp  its  awful  size  ; 
Let  faith  then  still  forebode,  the  Eternal  Light 
At  last  will  show  its  grandeur  to  the  sight. 

2  Timothy,  iii.  16.  "All  Scripture  is  given  by  inspiration  of 
God,  and  is  profitable  for  doctrine,  for  reproof,  for  cor- 
rection, for  instruction  in  righteousness." 

Psalm  xcii.  5,  6.  "  O  Lord,  how  great  are  Thy  words  !  2 
and  Thy  thoughts  are  very  deep.  A  brutish  man  knoweth 
not;  neither  doth  a  fool  understand  this." 

Psalm  xxv.  14.  "  The  secret  of  the  Lord  is  with  them  that 
fear  Him." 

I  Cor.  xiii.  12.  "  Now  we  see  through  a  glass  darkly." 

I  CONSIDER  it  a  proof  of  great  proficiency  in  the  art  of 
prayer,  if  the  suppliant  have  learned  to  prefer  using  the 
prayer  of  our  Lord  before  every  other;  and  if  he  be  con- 
vinced that  it  is  scarcely  possible  to  conceive  any  different 
form  in  which  a  Christian  could  so  perfectly  comprise  all  that 
he  has  in  his  heart  to  say  to  the  eternal  God.  What  is  true  of 
this  small  portion  of  the  divine  Word  may,  with  equal  truth  be 
affirmed  of  the  whole  ;  and  blessed  indeed  is  the  Christian  who 
has  advanced  so  far  as  to  find  more  edification  in  the  sacred 
1  Heb.  V.  13.  ^  Luther's  vers. 


100         ig.  0  Lord,  Thy  Thoughts  are  very  deep. 

Scrii3tures  than  in  all  other  writings  besides.  How  great  the 
power  of  the  Holy  Spirit  which  reigns  in  it,  is  evident  from  the 
fact,  that  while  to  the  eye  of  man  the  Book  appears  so  homely 
in  comparison  with  many  others,  and  although  history  shows 
that,  in  the  form  in  which  we  now  possess  it,  it  was  almost 
casually  put  together,  the  effects  it  produces  upon  the  human 
mind  are  so  astonishingly  great. 

It  is  quite  true  that  in  the  Scriptures,  just  as  in  the  manger 
at  Bethlehem,  Christ  the  Lord  is  wrapped  in  poor  and  un- 
sightly swaddling-clothes,  and  yet  hither,  from  both  east  and 
west,  have  the  wise  men  been  constrained  to  come,  and  have 
prostrated  themselves  before  the  crib  and  presented  their  gifts. 
When  first  approached,  how  uncouth  all  about  the  Book  appears 
from  the  beginning  to  the  end  !  and  yet,  there  can  the  soul 
make  for  itself  a  home,  and  feel  happier  in  it  than  in  all  the 
other  books  in  the  world.  //  is  owing  to  the  dark  places  in  our 
hearts  that  we  find  so  77iatty  places  in  the  Bible  dark.  Only  let 
Christ  wax  greater  and  stronger  within  us,  and  forthwith  He 
becomes  greater  and  more  glorious  also  in  His  Word.  No 
experienced  Christian  will  refuse  to  testify  that  he  has  dis- 
covered in  the  Bible  a  fountain  which  it  is  impossible  to  ex- 
haust, according,  as  Luther  so  pleasantly  says,^ — "  For  a  long 
time  past  I  have  read  through  the  Bible  twice  every  year; 
and  figuring  it  as  a  great  and  widespread  tree,  and  all  its 
words  as  twigs  and  branches,  I  may  say  that  I  have  knocked 
at  every  one  of  them  inquiring  what  grew  on  it,  and  how  much 
it  could  produce,  and  never  have  I  failed  to  beat  down  more 
or  less  fruit." 

If,  then,  good  reader,  you  desire  to  profit  by  the  study  of 
the  sacred  Scriptures,  be  not  offended  to  find  along  with  what 
is  clear,  not  a  little  of  which  the  meaning  is  still  kept  in  reserve. 
Reflect  that,  although  the  heavenly  Father  certainly  did  think 
of  your  case  when  He  caused  the  Book  to  be  written  for  all  the 
millions  who  dwell  upon  the  earth,  and  intended  that  you 
too  should  find  in  it  light  and  food,  the  herb  to  heal  and  the 
rod  to  correct  thee,  He  still  at  the  same  time  thought  equally 


19-   0  Lord,  Thy  Thoughts  are  very  deep.         loi 

of  all  His  other  children.  The  consequence  is,  as  you  may 
easily  infer,  that  many  things  which  are  clear  to  them  will  be 
obscure  to  you,  and  that  this  field  of  the  divine  Word  will 
yield  its  increase  at  one  season,  and  that  field  at  another.  For 
example,  there  are  passages  in  the  Word  which  were  written 
specially  for  the  moi  of  learning  who  are  seeking  for  salvation; 
in  other  passages,  the  divine  Wisdom  had  kings  in  view;  and 
there  are  others,  again,  which  provide  for  little  children.  In 
som.e  of  its  sayings  are  scattered  the  seeds  from  which  deep 
and  lofty  thoughts  were  to  spring  up  and  to  shine  like  stars, 
and  be  guides  to  human  knowledge.  Others,  again,  were  to 
produce  great  and  worthy  achievements ;  while  others  still  were 
to  generate  noble  arts.  Of  its  beautiful  flowers,  some  have  ex- 
haled their  fragrance  in  the  East,  and  some  only  in  the  West. 
Some  of  them  regaled  the  middle  ages,  and  others  are  specially 
salutary  for  us.  Oh  how  great  must  have  been  the  skill,  and  how 
immense  the  resources,  of  the  host  who  could  furnish  so  goodly 
a  table  for  such  a  multitude  of  guests,  whose  wants  were  so 
diverse  !  It  may  well  be  that  some  of  the  dishes  do  not  quite 
suit  my  taste ;  but  what  then  ?  Would  it  be  either  respectful 
to  the  entertainer,  or  considerate  towards  those  who  sit  at  table 
with  me,  were  I  to  find  fault  ?  What  I  cannot  relish,  I  allow 
to  pass ;  and  this  may  well  be  done  when  there  is  such  abund- 
ance offered.  And  who  knows  what  may  still  happen  ?  Time 
has  not  yet  run  its  whole  course,  I  doubt  not  that  in  His 
affluent  Word  the  Lord  has  still  in  reserve  for  me  many  a 
dainty  of  which  I  at  present  have  no  conception,  but  which  I 
shall  enjoy  hereafter,  when,  as  the  Scriptures  express  it,  "  my 
senses,  by  reason  of  use,  shall  have  been  exercised  to  discern 
both  good  and  evil."  ^ 

The  Saviour  tells  His  disciples,  "  I  have  yet  many  things  to 
say  unto  you,  but  ye  cannot  bear  them  now.  Howbeit  when 
He,  the  Spirit  of  truth,  is  come.  He  will  guide  you  into  all 
truth."  ^  And  even  so  there  is  also  much  still  in  reserve  for 
me  in  His  holy  Word  which  at  present  I  cannot  bear,  and 
1  Heb.  V.  14.  2  John,  xvi,  12,  13, 


102         ig.  0  Lord,  Thy  Thoughts  are  very  deep. 

which  consequently  I  do  not  relish.     Oh,  then,  for  patience 
and  humility ! 

Moreover,  in  all  banquets  it  is  the  business  of  the  cook  to 
give  the  proper  seasoning  to  the  dishes ;  and  here  the  cook  is 
Hunger,  and  for  skill  in  his  art  the  world  has  long  praised  him. 
But  not  less  does  he  excel  as  a  Teacher ;  for  to  the  humblest 
peasant  he  will  expound  the  Gospel  of  St  John,  over  which 
learned  divines  fatigue  their  brain,  and  will  make  it  so  intelli- 
gible, and  accompany  it  with  so  many  pleasing  comments,  that 
it  inspires  a  heartfelt  joy.  This  is  the  teacher  whom  the 
Saviour  Himself  so  highly  commended  when  he  said,  ''^Blessed 
are  they  that  hunger ^  ^  By  these  remarks  I  do  not  intend  to 
rob  the  learned  men  who  interpret  Scripture  either  of  their 
livelihood  or  their  reputation.  Oh  no ;  I  am  rather  of  opinion 
that  many  pious  Christians  are  not  sufficiently  sensible  how 
great  the  boon  which  has  been  vouchsafed  by  God  to  the 
Church  in  the  beautiful  commentaries  on  Scripture  which  the 
learned  have  written ;  and  that  these  persons  fall  into  a  great 
mistake  who  attempt  to  descend  the  shaft  of  the  divine  Word 
with  only  the  little  lamp  which  the  Holy  Spirit  has  lit  for  the7n- 
selves.  The  thing  is  wrong.  It  is  the  Holy  Spirit's  office  to 
kindle  the  light  by  which  we  understand  the  Word ;  and  the 
Holy  Spirit  belongs  to  no  si7igle  member,  but  to  the  whole  body 
of  the  Church;  and  therefore  no  member  ought  to  disparage  the 
gifts  which  have  at  all  times  been  conferred  upon  learned  men 
and  ministers,  seeing  it  is  written  that  "  the  manifestation  of 
His  Spirit  is  given  to  every  vcvdcafor  the  profit  of  alir  ^  Rather 
ought  a  humble-minded  Christian  to  praise  God  that,  with  the 
help  afforded  him  by  the  writings  of  the  pious  commentators 
of  all  ages,  he  can,  as  it  were,  enter  upon  the  journey  into  the 
promised  land,  by  which  I  mean  the  land  of  holy  Scripture,  in 
the  company  of  so  many  pious  and  experienced  guides.  Do 
I  not  in  this  manner  appropriate  as  my  own  the  light  which 
the  Lord's  Spirit  has  in  all  ages  vouchsafed  to  help  the  Church 
to  understand  His  Word  ? 

1  Luke,  vi.  2t.  ^  i  Cor.  xii.  7 — Luther's  vers. 


ig.  0  Lord,  Thy  Thoughts  are  very  deep.        103 

From  the  fact  that  it  is  the  Spirit  alone  who  teaches  us  to 
understand  the  holy  Scriptures,  I  deduce  another  doctrine — 
viz.,  that  in  reading  them  the  true  meaning  can  never  be  ob- 
tained by  pecking  at  the  letters.  There  was  a  time  when  I  too, 
from  strictly  conscientious  feelings,  frequently  plagued  myself 
to  construe  this  and  that  expression  in  the  most  literal  sense, 
however  harsh  it  sounded,  and  yet  I  could  not  but  be  aware 
that  to  that  sense,  other  passages,  and  especially  the  general 
spirit  of  the  Word,  were  contrary.  This  cost  me  great  labour 
and  anxiety ;  for  well  I  knew  that  many  lay  stress  upon  the 
sph'it  only  as  a  pretext  for  introducing  their  own  spirit  into  the 
Word  of  God ;  and  that  when  the  doctrine  or  precept  of  any 
passage  is  too  hard  for  them,  they  forthwith  allege  the  spirit  in 
order  to  expunge  so  much  of  the  meaning  as  does  not  suit  their 
taste.  For,  as  Luther  says,  "  Man's  reason  flutters  and  flits 
about  the  letter  of  the  divine  Word,  until  it  forces  it  into  a 
line  with  itself;  which  is  just,  in  other  words,  to  set  the  sun- 
dial right  by  the  clock  in  one's  chamber."  If,  however,  it  so 
be  that  only  the  Spirit  of  God  can  teach  us  to  interpret  His 
Word,  no  labouring  with  the  letter  can  ever  open  the  door  of 
comprehension  ;  and  if  a  reader  really  desire  to  guard  against 
the  haughty  delusions  of  human  reason,  he  will  find  nothing  so 
effectual  as  learning  to  discriminate  correctly  between  the  Spirit 
of  God  and  the  spirit  of  man.  I  therefore  believe,  that  just  as 
the  meaning  of  a  human  author  in  any  passage  of  his  book  can 
only  be  discovered  by  attending  to  what  is  his  meaning  in 
general — and  just  as  the  function  of  any  single  member  in  an 
organised  body  can  only  be  ascertained  by  endeavouring  to 
infer  it  correctly  from  the  structure  of  the  whole, — so  likewise 
the  true  sense  of  a  passage  of  Scripture  becomes  evident  to 
the  pious  reader  only  in  as  far  as  he  diligently  compares  and 
adjusts  it  to  all  the  rest.  Luther  said  of  his  own  translations 
"  that  he  preferred  the  plain  sense  to  the  litigious  letter."  It 
is  true  that  scrupulous  minds  have  often  taken  alarm  at  the 
exercise  of  this  mental  freedom  with  the  Word,  as  if  to  depart 
in  the  very  slightest  from  the  letter  were  to  misconstrue  and 


104        i<^.  O  Lord,  Thy  Thoughts  are  very  deep. 

pervert  it.  Now,  let  no  man  dare  for  his  life  to  wrest  the  Word 
of  God.  Even  of  that  of  an  earthly  monarch,  the  Emperor 
Conrad  observed,  it  is  not  decent  to  twist  or  misinterpret  an 
emperor's  word.  On  the  other  hand,  however,  the  chief  of 
the  apostles  has  averred  that  "  the  letter  killeth,  but  the  spirit 
giveth  life."  ^  Tell  me,  ye  who  strain  and  force  the  letter,  with 
however  good  intention  you  may  do  it,  whether  you  recollect 
the  manifold  testimonies  borne  by  history  to  the  fact  that  holy 
Scripture  has,  like  a  mother's  breast  when  too  strongly  pressed, 
emitted  blood  instead  of  milk  ?  Heaven  knows  what  monstrous 
fanaticism  and  dreadful  bloodshed  have  issued  out  of  that 
single  text  of  the  apostle  when  expounded  by  the  flesh, — 
"  Stand  fast  in  the  liberty  wherewith  Christ  has  made  us  free  j"^ 
or  from  the  saying  of  our  Lord  Himself,  "  Ye  shall  know  the 
truth,  and  the  truth  shall  make  you  free^\f^  For  beside  these 
texts,  many  have  wholly  forgotten  what  is  elsewhere  averred  : 
"  Use  not  liberty  for  an  occasion  to  the  flesh ; "  ^  and  again, 
"  As  free  and  not  using  your  liberty  for  a  cloak  of  malicious- 
ness, but  as  the  servants  of  God;"^  and  once  more,  "All 
things  are  lawful  unto  me,  but  all  things  are  not  expedient ^^ 
When  the  apostle  exhorts,  "  Children,  obey  your  parents  in  all 
things^'  '^  might  not  the  flesh  here  twist  the  letter  to  the  effect 
that  children  ought  to  obey  their  parents  even  in  doing  what  is 
wicked  and  ungodly  ?  Our  Lord  said,  "  When  thou  makest  a 
dinner  or  a  supper,  call  not  thy  friends  nor  thy  brethren,  neither 
thy  kinsmen  nor  thy  rich  neighbours ;  .  .  .  but  when  thou 
makest  a  feast,  call  the  poor,  the  maimed,  the  lame,  the  blind, 
and  thou  shalt  be  blessed ; "  ^  and  might  not  the  flesh,  laying  a 
rough  hand  upon  the  letter,  extort  from  it  that  we  ought  never 
to  invite  our  relatives  to  dinner?  The  Lord  hath  also  said, 
"  Sell  that  ye  have,  and  give  alms."  ^  And  here,  too,  might 
the  flesh  strain  the  words  to  import  that  no  Christian  ought  to 
possess  private  property ;  whereas  numerous  passages  of  Scrip- 

1  2  Cor.  iii.  6.  ^  Gal.  v.  i,  •  ^  John,  viii.  32. 

•^  Gal.  V.  13.  ^  I  Pet.  ii.  16.  ^  i  Cor.  vi.  12. 

7  Col.  iii.  20.  8  Luke,  xiv.  12,  13,       ^  Luke,  xii.  33. 


1 9-   0  Lord,  Thy  Thoughts  are  very  deep.        105 

ture  imply  the  very  opposite  of  all  such  carnal  misconstruc- 
tions. You  see,  then,  that  in  this  case  there  is  no  help  save  in 
seeking  humbly  to  understand  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  from  the 
whole  compass  of  sacred  Scripture,  in  order  clearly  to  appre- 
hend the  meaning  of  this  or  that  particular  passage. 

To  an  unenlightened  eye,  the  New  Testament  may  indeed 
appear  a  very  unsightly  fabric,  in  the  erection  of  which  the 
Architect  has  committed  great  mistakes.  He  might,  for  ex- 
ample, have  made  the  gable  more  straight,  and  raised  story 
above  story  in  a  nobler  style,  and  here  and  there  altered  for 
the  better  the  position  of  a  window  or  a  door.  In  the  end, 
however,  we  come  to  see  that  the  architecture  of  the  Word  of 
God  is  of  a  piece  with  that  of  the  whole  world,  and  are  con- 
strained to  give  Him  the  glory,  and  confess  here  too,  "  Thou 
hast  ordered  all  things  by  measure,  number,  and  weight."  As 
the  history  of  our  Lord  constitutes  the  basis  of  our  religion,  to 
it  has  been  assigned  the  foremost  place  among  the  writings  of 
the  New  Testament,  in  order  that  with  it  every  man  may  begin, 
and  so  lay  a  foundation  for  his  faith.  After  this,  when  by 
means  of  the  four  Gospels  the  inquirer  has  become  acquainted 
with  the  LLead,  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  instruct  him  how  the 
bond  that  connects  the  Head  with  the  body  ajid  its  members 
was  originally  formed.  He  is  then  taught  by  the  apostolical 
epistles  the  nature  oi  faith,  charity,  and  hope,  by  which  the 
members  of  the  primitive  Church  were  nourished  and  upheld ; 
until  finally,  in  the  Apocalypse  of  St  John,  he  looks  forward  to 
the  Church's  victory  through  all  successive  ages  up  to  the  end. 
Again,  how  wisely  and  graciously  it  has  likewise  been  pro- 
vided that  the  one  great  theme  of  the  Gospel  has  reached  us 
in  a  way  to  make  the  single  ray  of  light  be  refracted  into  a 
variety  of  colours  in  order  to  show  how  rich  it  is,  and  to  set 
open,  as  it  were,  several  doors,  by  which  the  inquirer  for  sal- 
vation may  find  admission  into  the  palace  of  truth  !  No  doubt, 
when  human  reason  begins  to  burrow,  it  is  apt  to  fancy  that 
in  this  matter  it  could  have  put  God  upon  a  better  plan. 
Above  all,  the  thought  occurs  whether  it  might  not  have  been 


io6         19.  0  Lord,  Thy  Thoughts  are  very  deep. 

more  desirable  and  more  conducive  to  general  good,  if,  instead 
*  of  the  one  great  theme  of  Scripture  being  repeated  under  so 
manifold  variations — of  which  the  effect  has  been  to  stir  up  a 
world  of  strife — God  had  been  pleased  to  give  forth  a  single 
well-constructed  system  of  faith, — such,  for  example,  as  a  cate- 
chism of  Christian  doctrine  drawn  up  by  the  holy  apostles. 
But  oh,  how  great  would  have  been  the  loss,  if  in  place  of  the 
narratives  and  epistles,  which  are,  as  it  were,  segments  cut  out 
of  the  actual  life  of  the  early  Church,  the  Church  had  received 
a  rule  of  faith  and  morals,  in  all  points  finished  to  its  hand  ! 
What  a  loss  in  power,  fulness,  and  multiformity  must  have 
been  sustained  .if  the  new  song  had  been  sung  only  by  one 
voice,  and  always  in  the  same  key  !  The  number  and  variety 
of  the  voices  that  resound  in  the  New  Testament  has  had  its 
echo  through  all  ages  of  the  Church's  history. 

What  here  we  find  comprised  in  narrow  bounds, 
A  concert  seems  of  well-accorded  sounds, 
Striving,  now  mingled,  now  disjoined,  which  can 
Yield  sweetest  praise  to  Jesus,  God  and  Man. 
Here  low  they  peal  like  muttering  thunder,  there 
Like  trumpets  loud,  which  for  the  Judge  prepare ; 
Now  trills,  as  if  from  well-toned  flutes,  the  song. 
Now  stately  treads  like  choral  chant  along  : 
The  pomp  of  sound  that  thus  enfolds  its  glory, 
Has  sent  an  echo  through  the  world's  long  story. 

Yes,  the  war-shout  from  PatiVs  stout  breast  that  rings. 
Has  roused  a  thousand  warriors  to  the  field  ; 
Nor  less  the  notes  from  John^s  melodious  strings, 
With  peaceful  echo,  hearts  unnumbered  thrilled. 
How  bright  the  fire  from  Peter  s  bosom  flames 
In  ardent  souls  which  the  keen  spark  has  caught ! 
While  the  disciples  from  the  school  of  James 
Their  hallowed  offerings  to  the  shrine  have  brought ; 
It  is  the  self-same  theme,  with  variations. 
That  sounds  incessant  through  man's  generations. 

We  are  told  that  heavenly  Wisdom  constructed  the  great 
fabric  of  the  world  by  "  measure,  number,  and  weight."  If, 
however,  we  attempt  to  work  her  calculations,  we  prove 
wretched  blunderers.     At  the  outset,  indeed,  we  promise  our- 


1 9-   O  Lord,  Thy  Thoughts  are  very  deep.         107 

selves  great  success ;  but  it  happens  to  us  here  as  Luther  tells 
us  is  the  case  with  jurists  :  "  A  first-year's  student  of  law  fancies 
himself  quite  a  Justinian,  and  wiser  than  the  whole  faculty  of 
doctors ;  the  second  year,  he  falls  down  to  the  doctor's  level ; 
the  third,  he  becomes  a  licentiate;  the  fourth,  a  Bachelor; 
and  in  the  fifth,  he  is  a  humble  student  once  more."  This  is 
exactly  what  occurs  to  him  who  attempts  to  work  the  calcula- 
tions of  "  measure,  number,  and  weight "  made  by  divine  Wis- 
dom for  the  beautiful  fabric  which  it  has  constructed  for  us  in 
the  sacred  Scriptures.  The  upshot  always  is,  that  we  confess, 
as  the  wise  Socrates  did  of  the  writings  of  a  great  philosopher, 
^^  As  much  as  I  understand  is  so  admirable^  that  I  conclude  that 
the  part  I  do  not  imder stand  must  be  the  same.'^ 

The  variety,  however,  which  reigns  in  the  fair  garden  of 
God's  holy  Word,  so  far  as  we  can  yet  understand  it,  is  really 
something  wonderful  and  glorious.  Most  frequently  the  in- 
quirer commences  with  the  Gospel  of  John.  Now  that  is 
actually  a  more  difficult  study  than  the  other  Gospels.  At  the 
same  time,  it  is  not  by  any  insight  into  the  meaning  oi  it  that 
souls  are  allured  and  attracted.  Rather  is  it  at  first  merely  like 
a  charming  music,  that  on  a  fair  summer's  evening  is  wafted  to 
us  from  beyond  a  river.  The  inquirer's  heart  begins  gently  to 
flutter  and  swell,  so  that  he  would  fain  ask  of  it,  "What  ails 
thee?"  for  he  does  not  himself  know.  This  is  the  way  by 
which,  in  these  days  of  ours,  and  in  far  the  most  numerous 
instances,  souls  are  brought  to  Christ.  Their  case  is  precisely 
similar  to  that  of  the  Samaritan  woman.  She  too  said  to  the 
Saviour,  "Sir,  give  me  this  water,  that  I  thirst  not;"  and  asked 
it  before  she  was  rightly  aware  of  what  he  had  been  speaking.^ 
Light,  love,  life, — these  are  the  tones  which  softly  and  gently 
float  from  beyond  the  stream,  and  hover  and  undulate  around 
the  unpeaceful  heart.  We  trace  in  them  the  breath  of  the 
other  world. 

In  this  way  the  inquirer  is  brought  to  the  feet  of  Jesus,  and 
there  he  soon  learns  to  see  that  these  tones  were  but  sweet 
1  John,  iv,  15. 


io8         ig.  0  Lord,  Thy  Thoughts  are  very  deep. 

lures  intended  merely  to  bring  the  child  into  school.  Once  in 
school,  however,  he  must  set  himself  to  learn.  It  is  no  longer 
with  sotmds  that  he  has  to  do,  but  with  fruits  ;  and  the  more 
he  becomes  sensible  of  this,  the  more  do  the  first  three  Gospels 
unfold  themselves  to  him.  By  these  we  are  informed  what  we 
must  renounce  in  order  to  receive ;  and  so  advance  to  the  foot 
of  the  New  Testament  Sinai,  where  we  learn  the  strict  disci- 
pline that  reigns  in  the  family  of  God.  Embodied  in  a  living 
form,  this  is  shown  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  which  is  an  ex- 
cellent and  precious  book,  and  one  which  Christians  w^ould 
find  it  profitable  to  study  far  more  than  they  do.  It  consti- 
tutes the  great  ostensible  attestation  of  the  fact,  that  the  Lord 
has  kept  His  promise, — "I  will  not  leave  you  comfortless;^ 
I  will  come  to  you."^  We  here  see  how,  after  putting  off  His 
earthly  body.  He  clothed  Himself  in  the  far  greater  body  of  the 
Church.  Here  we  find  the  proof,  that  although  He  has  gone 
to  heaven,  and  now  sits  on  the  right  hand  of  God,  He,  not- 
withstanding, still  continues  to  be  present  with  His  members 
here  on  earth.  At  this  stage  we  begin  rightly  to  understand 
what  the  swelling  and  fluttering  of  the  heart  meant,  when  at  the 
first  we  were  lured  by  the  love-tones  of  St  John  ;  and  are  now 
prepared  to  listen  to  Paul  when  preaching  the  righteousjiess 
ivhich  is  of  faith.  This,  in  my  opinion,  is  the  highest  class  in 
the  school  of  Christ,  and  there  we  are  set  to  the  study  of  James 
as  well  as  of  Paul.  For  when  we  have  obtained  an  insight  into 
the  righteousness  which  is  of  free  grace,  it  is  time  we  should  be 
made  acquainted  with  the  phantom  shape  oi  faith,  and  put  its 
vigour  to  the  test  by  the  work  of  love.  Hand  in  hand  with 
James  goes  Peter,  who  teaches  us  that  the  "  chosen  generation, 
the  royal  priesthood,  the  holy  nation,  and  peculiar  people, 
ought  to  show  forth  the  praises  ^  of  Him  who  hath  called  them 
out  of  darkness  into  His  marvellous  light."  *  Moreover,  if  to 
any  one  has  been  vouchsafed  the  special  gift  of  ijitelUgencc,  he 
still  continues  to  knock,  and  finds  disclosed  in  the  writings  of 

1  In  the  orvg.,  for^^'-^.  "John,  xiv.  i8. 

^  Orig.,  virtues.  ^  i  Pet.  ii.  9. 


ig.  0  Lord,  TJiy  Thottghts  are  very  deep.        109 

St  Paul  the  meaning  of  the  motto  which  stands  as  superscrip- 
tion upon  the  history  of  the  world,  "  Of  Him,  and  through  Him, 
and  to  Him,  are  all  things  j"^  or  unsealed  in  those  of  St  John 
the  mystery  of  the  Godhead,  "  In  the  beginning  was  the  Word." 
Supposing  the  reader,  however,  to  be  one  of  the  chosen  num- 
ber whom  the  Lord  counts  worthy  to  have  a  special  word 
whispered  in  their  ear,  then  perchance  may  he  try  his  hand 
whether  it  will  not  be  given  to  him  to  read  a  few  lines  of  the 
book  with  the  seven  seals — that  book  of  the  world's  history 
which  no  one  was  found  worthy  to  open,  save  He  of  whom 
was  sung  the  new  song,  "  Thou  art  worthy  to  take  the  book, 
and  to  open  the  seals  thereof :  for  Thou  wast  slain,  and  hast 
redeemed  us  to  God  by  Thy  blood  out  of  every  kindred,  and 
tongue,  and  people,  and  nation ;  and  hast  made  us  unto  our 
God  kings  and  priests  :  and  we  shall  reign  on  the  earth."  2 

O  heavenly  Wisdom,  in  deep  humility  I  implore  of  Thee, 
open  Thou  mine  eyes,  that  I  may  see  wondrous  things  out  of 
Thy  law.  So  much  have  I  already  experienced  of  the  bless- 
ing of  Thy  grace,  that  with  full  conviction  I  can  say,  "  To 
whom  shall  I  go  but  unto  Thee?  Thou  hast  the  words  of 
eternal  life;"  and  yet,  O  Lord,  many  places  in  Thy  Word  are 
still  dark  to  me.  What  I  thirst  for  is  to  see  Thee  wholly  in 
Thy  light ;  and  this  my  thirst  is  the  thirst  oi  faith,  not  of  doubt. 
I  am  fully  convinced  that  Thy  darknesses  are  light,  and  that 
Thou  wilt  one  day  quench  my  thirst.  Meanwhile,  help  me 
always  to  read  Thy  Word  with  a  truly  undistracted  mind,  and 
a  reverent  and  humble  heart,  as  the  handwriting  of  a  king 
ought  ever  to  be  read.  In  my  approaches  to  Thee,  cleanse 
my  mind  from  all  vain  and  fleshly  thoughts,  that  I  may  not  be 
listening  to  myself  y^\i^n  I  imagine  that  I  am  listening  to  Thee, 
and  that  my  heart  may  reflect  Thy  divine  thoughts  unadulter- 
ated and  pure.  And  inasmuch,  O  holy  God,  as  Thy  light  is 
a  light  of  life,  grant  me  Thine  aid,  that  all  the  light  which 
beams  into  me  out  of  Thy  Word,  may  transform  and  purify 
me,  and  become  in  me  a  living  power. 

1  Rom.  xi.  36.  2  Rgy_  V.  9,  10. 


no  20.   Thoii  understandest  my 

20. 

S^l^ou  «ntierstant(£St  mg  ^ftousljt  afar  oft 

God  sees  me  through  and  through  ; 

Oh,  tell  me  where  to  hide  / 
His  eye's  afiame  of  fire, 

Who  can  its  glance  abide  ? 

My  child,  if  thus  His  eye 

The  soul  within  thee  scare, 
Hasten  into  His  heart, 

Aiidfind  a  refuge  there. 

Psalm  cxxxix.  1-12.  "  O  Lord,  Thou  hast  searched  me, 
and  known  me.  Thou  knowest  my  downsitting  and 
mine  uprising,  Thou  understandest  my  thought  afar  off. 
Thou  compassest  my  path  and  my  lying  down,  and  art 
acquainted  with  all  my  ways.  For  there  is  not  a  word  in 
my  tongue,  but,  lo,  O  Lord,  Thou  knowest  it  altogether. 
Thou  hast  beset  me  behind  and  before,  and  laid  Thine 
hand  upon  me.  Such  knowledge  is  too  wonderful  for  me  ; 
it  is  high,  I  cannot  attain  unto  it.  Whither  shall  I  go 
from  Thy  Spirit  ?  or  whither  shall  I  flee  from  Thy  pre- 
sence ?  If  I  ascend  up  into  heaven,  Thou  art  there  :  if  I 
make  my  bed  in  hell,  behold,  Thou  art  there.  If  I  take 
the  wings  of  the  morning,  and  dwell  in  the  uttermost  parts 
of  the  sea ;  even  there  shall  Thy  hand  lead  me,  and  Thy 
right  hand  shall  hold  me.  If  I  say.  Surely  the  darkness 
shall  cover  me ;  even  the  night  shall  be  light  about  me. 
Yea,  the  darkness  hideth  not  from  Thee ;  but  the  night 
shineth  as  the  day :  the  darkness  and  the  light  are  both 
alike  to  Thee." 

O  THOUGHT  freezing  with  terror  the  bones  and  the  mar- 
row !    O  thought  which  also  thrills  with  ecstasy  the  hu- 
man heart! — Of  all  that  I  am,  and  of  all  that  I  do,  there  is  nothing 


Thought  afar  off.  1 1 1 

which  is  not  knoum  to  my  God.  Is  it  possible  that  a  man  who 
really  believes  in  the  existence  of  the  Divine  Being  can  bear  this 
thought  upon  his  mind  without  yielding  entirely  to  its  dominion^ 
and  giving  it  the  control  and  government  of  his  every  inward 
motion  and  every  outward  act  ?  It  is  a  dreadful  thing  when 
the  irreligious  man,  who  will  have  nothing  to  do  with  God, 
revolts  against  the  eye  that  seeth  in  secret,  and  looks  upon 
faith  as  folly.  And  yet  this  is  more  easily  understood  than 
that  a  man  can  affirm  his  belief  in  a  God  who  understands  his 
thought  afar  off,  and  knows  the  word  upon  his  tongue  before 
it  is  uttered,  and  can  yet,  at  the  same  time,  continue  inert. 
It  is  just  a  new  instance  showing  the  immeasurable  difference 
between  one  kind  of  faith  and  another.  For  what  is  it  that 
here  happens  to  us  ?  Shall  I  say  that  we  do  not  really  believe 
at  all,  or  at  least  not  firmly,  what  our  mouth  avers  ?  We  are 
told  of  the  faith  of  Moses  "  that  he  endured  as  seeing  Him 
who  is  invisible."  ^  It  appears,  then,  that  faith  is  a  mental  eye, 
by  means  of  which  we  can  see  :  and  accordingly,  if  I  did  believe 
in  the  Omniscient,  would  I  not  every  moment  likewise  see  Him, 
as  if  through  a  rent  in  the  heavens ;  and  would  not  His  eye 
also  meet  mine .?  Would  I  not  then  perform  my  earthly  pil- 
grimage in  His  company  and  under  His  inspection  ?  And  in 
the  gaze  of  such  an  eye,  how  holy  would  my  life  become  !  How 
would  they  who  are  without  the  pardon  of  their  sins  dissolve 
like  wax,  and  how  would  they  who  have  received  forgiveness 
become  little  and  abased — oh  how  unspeakably  Httle  and 
abased !  The  firm  conviction  that  a  human  eye,  especially 
that  of  some  great  man,  observed  every  step  of  my  life,  that 
the  ear  of  some  holy  character  listened  to  every  word  of  my 
mouth,  would  exercise  a  wonderful  power  over  my  conduct. 
What,  then,  if  it  be  the  eye  of  God,  what  if  it  be  the  ear  of  God, 
that  are  my  perpetual  witnesses  ?  And  if  I  have  no  experience 
of  such  a  power,  must  I  say  that  I  do  not  believe  ? 

I  am  not  sure  that  I  should  say  that ;  I  have,  in  fact,  no 
doubt  that  I  do  believe.     The  truth  rather  is,  that  I  do  not 
1  Heb.  xi.  27. 


112  20.    TJioiL  tmderstandest  my 

think  about  it.  But  then,  if  I  really  believed  it,  would  it  not 
also  be  the  subject  of  thought  to  me  ?  Here,  however,  it  may 
be  asked,  Has  a  man,  whose  attention  is  engrossed  by  the  avo- 
cations of  life,  time  to  retain  all  such  pious  thoughts  in  his 
mind?  This  is  a  question  which  I  have  long  pondered,  and 
I  now  see  how  the  matter  stands.  We  can  be  miiidfiil  of  a 
thing  without  having  defined  and  particular  thoughts  about  it. 
It  is  with  the  understanding  that  we  think ;  but  thoughts  can 
also  be  wrapped  up  in  the  feelings,  and  that  too  is  being  mind- 
ful. Is  it  not  in  our  feelings  that  we  continually  bear  about 
with  us  the  consciousness  of  all  that  we  are,  and  of  the  circum- 
stances in  which  we  happen  to  be  placed,  so  that  it  even 
determines  us  how  to  act  ?  If  faith  in  God  had  only  become 
flesh  and  blood  within  me — if  it  had  permeated  my  inmost 
being  as  the  vein  of  gold  does  the  metals,  or  the  sunbeam  the 
water  to  which  it  gives  warmth  and  transparency — would  I  not 
then  be  every  moment  as  mindful  of  my  God  as  I  am  of  my- 
self? I  would  be  so;  and  when  faith  in  that  eye  which  under- 
stands our  thoughts  afar  off,  and  sifts  us  through  and  through, 
does  not  accompany  us  in  all  our  ways,  this  is  only  a  sign  that 
we  do  not  yet  properly  believe  in  it. 

How  often  a  man  flies  with  what  he  is  doing  from  the  eye  of  his 
fellow-men,  and  breathes  freely  the  moment  he  is  beyond  their 
reach  !  but,  alas  !  never  thinks  that  there  is  an  eye  from  which 
he  cannot  fly,  and  that  that  is  the  eye  of  his  fudge.  As  he  can 
never  escape  from  the  wide  canopy  of  heaven  that  is  over  him, 
however  long  he  may  run,  as  little  can  he  run  anywhere  away 
from  the  omniscient  God.  O  thou  great  Being,  whom  I  can- 
not see,  but  who  art  so  near  to  me,  let  the  thought  of  Thee 
teach  me  first  of  all  to  be  truthfid  in  word  and  deed  !  It  is 
quite  certain  that  we  are  all  much  worse  than  we  fancy  our- 
selves to  be.  Our  self-love  is  too  great  to  admit  of  our  having 
any  doubt  upon  the  point.  We  have  so  strong  an  inclination 
to  exhibit  our  motives  to  other  men  in  too  favourable  a  light, 
that  it  would  be  remarkable  if  the  propensity  to  falsehood  did 
not  also  manifest  itself  in  our  interviews  with  God.     Where  is 


TJwugJit  afar  off.  113 

the  man  who  has  not  at  least  occasionally  put  on  a  mask  in 
his  intercourse  with  his  fellow-men?  Nay,  are  there  not  many 
who  actually  never  put  it  ofi  And  thus  they  acquire  the 
habit  of  taking  it  along  with  them  into  the  presence  of  God.  O 
Eye  that  hates  all  guile  and  falsehood,  let  me  at  least  be 
truthful  when  I  come  before  Thee !  Thou  hast  put  our  sen- 
tence into  our  own  hands,  and  if  we  only  pronounce  it  upon 
ourselves,  there  is  hope  for  us ;  but  if  we  leave  it  for  Thee  to 
pronounce,  there  is  none.  As  often  as  I  look  up  to  Thee, 
O  holy  Eye  of  God,  I  feel  as  if  a  heavenly  voice  came  down 
ink)  my  conscience,  and  preached  to  me  that,  as  Thy  divine 
commandment  requires,  I  ought  instantly  and  fully  and  for 
ever  to  renounce  all  sin,  and  yield  entire  and  unconditional 
obedience  to  Thee.  How,  then,  could  I  possibly  imagine  my- 
self in  a  fit  condition  to  appear  before  Thee  in  the  white  robes 
of  righteousness  ?  How  could  I  stand  in  Thy  sight  without  a 
blush  ?  When  Christ  looked  upon  Peter  after  his  fall,  oh  what 
a  look  it  was  !  "  Peter  went  out  and  wept  bitterly." ^  Holy 
Eye  of  God,  so  look  upon  me  when  I  come  into  Thy  presence, 
that  I  too  may  there  weep  such  tears  as  his. 

Especially  disclose  to  me  the  impurity  of  my  motives.  I 
see  too  plainly  that  often  when  my  actions  seem  to  be  prompted 
by  the  very  best  of  these,  they  are  but  some  new  form  of  selfish- 
ness in  disguise.  Oh  how  happy  shall  I  be,  and  how  I  shall 
adore  and  praise  Thee  in  the  other  world,  if  I  ever  advance  so 
far  as  to  see  that  the  love  of  Thee  reigns  in  my  heart  above  all 
other  loves,  and  to  see  this  as  clearly  and  distinctly  as  I  now 
see  that  I  love  myself  more  than  everything  else  in  the  world, 
and  even  more  than  God  ! 

And  yet  methinks  I  may  venture  to  say  that  /  do  love  Thee. 
The  true  and  unfeigned  desire  I  feel — though  I  should  perish 
in  the  eff"ort — to  be  quit  of  the  love  of  myself  and  filled  with 
the  love  of  Thee,  attests  to  me  the  fact.  Even  the  disciple 
who  denied  Thee  ventured  to  say,  "  Lord,  Thou  knowest  all 
things,  Thou  knowest  that  I  love  Thee."     And  in  spite  of  my 

1  Luke,  xxii.  62. 
H 


114  20.   Thou  under standest  my 

denials,  shall  I  not  venture  to  say  it  too?  O  Thou  who 
besettest  me  behind  and  before,  and  art  acquainted  with  all 
my  ways,  is  it  not  the  fact  that  among  the  many  propensities 
of  my  nature  which  revolt  against  Thy  holy  will,  Thou  never- 
theless findest  a  bent  of  affection  towards  Thee, — a  little  flame 
which  has  been  kindled  by  the  Spirit  ?  It  is  not  that,  to  be 
sure,  on  which  I  place  my  hope.  No,  my  hope  rests  on  quite 
another  ground.  "  The  foundation  on  which  I  build  is  Jesus 
Christ  my  Lord."  That  is  my  cordial,  my  elixir  of  life,  when 
I  look  at  my  Judge's  eye  and  my  bones  begin  to  quake  and 
my  heart  to  melt.  If  I  now  tremble  at  the  thought  of  the 
wondrous  fellowship  which  subsists  between  Thy  Spirit  and 
my  own,  it  is  no  longer  the  mere  trembling  of  terror  j  rather 
is  it  the  trembling  of  humble  ecstasy,  that  Thou,  whom  the 
heaven  of  heavens  cannot  contain,  condescendest  to  approach 
so  closely  to  the  heart  of  man,  all  sinful  though  it  be,  and 
there,  if  it  will  but  give  Thee  leave,  disclosest  to  it  its  guilt ; 
nor  that  alone,  but  also  forgivest  it.  I  know  that  the  eye  of 
my  Judge  is  also  the  eye  of  my  Father;  why  then  should  I 
quake  to  think  that  it  sees  me  through  and  through  ?  At  that 
thought  he  only  needs  to  quake  who  will  have  nothing  to  do 
with  Thee  because  he  will  not  surrender  himself  to  Thy  sway. 
It  is  a  case  to  which  the  words  of  Sirach  apply  :  "As  Thy 
ways  are  plain  to  the  holy,  so  are  they  stumbling-blocks  to  the 
wicked."  ^  O  terrible  thought  for  the  ungodly  man  !  that 
while  he  refuses  to  know  anything  of  Thee,  Thou  knowest  all 
about  him.  Attempting  to  fly  from  Thy  presence,  he  takes 
Thee  with  him  wherever  he  goes.  His  eye  would  fain  elude 
Thine,  and  Thine  eye  catches  his  at  every  turn.  O  dreadful 
condition  of  the  man  who  tries  to  tear  himself  out  of  the  hands 
of  God,  but  of  whom  God  will  not  qidf  His  hold !  Sweet  as 
the  light  of  the  sun  is  Thy  presence  to  those  who  seek  Thee, 
but  verily  to  them  that  fly  from  Thee  it  is  a  consuming  fire. 

Verses  13-18.  ''For  Thou  hast  possessed  my  reins  :  Thou 
hast  covered  me  in  my  mother's  womb.     I  will  praise 

^  Ecclus.  xxxix.  24. 


ThoiLght  afar  off.  115 

Thee ;  for  I  am  fearfully  and  wonderfully  made  :  mar- 
vellous are  Thy  works ;  and  that  my  soul  knoweth  right 
well.  My  substance  was  not  hid  from  Thee,  when  I  was 
made  in  secret,  and  curiously  wrought  in  the  lowest  parts 
of  the  earth.  1  Thine  eyes  did  see  my  substance,  yet 
being  unperfect ;  and  in  Thy  book  all  my  members  were 
written,  which  in  continuance  were  fashioned,  when  as  yet 
there  was  none  of  them.  How  precious  also  are  Thy 
thoughts  unto  me,  O  God  !  how  great  is  the  sum  of  them  ! 
If  I  should  count  them,  they  are  more  in  number  than  the 
sand  :  when  I  awake,  I  am  still  with  Thee."  ^ 

Thou,  O  my  God,  seest  me  through  and  through,  for  by 
Thee  I  was  made.  I  was  the  object  of  Thy  thought  before  I 
existed,  and  in  me  Thou  didst  then  behold  a  being  destined 
to  exist  through  all  eternity.  And  if  so,  surely  all  that  I  now 
am  must  at  every  moment  lie  open  to  Thy  view.  Thou  seest 
through  both  the  past  and  the  future  of  my  history,  and  how 
can  the  present  be  concealed  from  Thee?  Here,  in  the 
sphere  of  time,  I  grow  up,  and  am  becoming  what  I  shall  one 
day  be.  But  Thou,  Lord,  in  thine  eternity  already  beholdest 
me  matured.  Other  than  this,  human  life  has  no  fixed  and 
solid  basis.  Were  it  not  that  all  our  days  were  from  eternity 
comprehended  in  the  hand  and  written  in  the  book  of  our 
God,  human  life  would  be  precarious  and  unstable,  like  the 
moonbeam  that  trembles  on  the  rippling  water.  But,  transi- 
tory and  precarious  though  it  be,  it  still  is  the  quivering  reflec- 
tion in  the  sphere  of  time  of  a  tranquil  eternity  with  God. 
And  whoever  believes  it  to  be  this,  may  even  now,  amidst  the 
tumult  of  this  temporal  state,  pass  his  days  in  the  tranquillity 
of  the  state  which  is  to  be  everlasting. 

Yes,  O  my  God,  the  thoughts  that  arise  within  me  when  my 
spirit  sinks  in  the  contemplation  of  Thy  being,  are  indeed  a 
great  sum.  I  lose  myself  while  I  ponder  them ;  and  when  I 
again  awake,  I  am  still  far  from  the  goal.     Out  of  every  dark- 

1  I.e.,  in  the  obscurity  of  the  womb,  like  as  in  the  depths  of  the  earth. 

2  I.e.,  though  I  lose  myself  in  the  contemplation  of  Thee,  I  never  reach  the 
end  of  it. 


1 16        21.   TJie  Lord  doctJi  accordi?io^  to  His  will. 


ness  there  arises  a  light,  but  only  to  terminate  in  darkness 
again,  from  which  new  light  is  evolved  ;  and  so  on  in  perpetual 
vicissitude.  The  child  who  sat  beside  the  fountain  waiting 
till  it  should  run  dry,  is  an  emblem  of  the  human  mind 
attempting  to  count  Thy  thoughts,  O  thou  immeasurable  One  ! 
Well  might  I  quail  at  the  infinitude  of  Thy  being,  did  I  not 
know  that  it  is  also  the  infinitude  of  love  and  mercy. 

God  is  the  fountain  at  which  I  drink, 

God  is  the  ocean  in  which  I  sink. 

I  gaze  o'er  the  main,  but  no  shore  descry  ; 

And  helpless  and  feeble,  alas  !  am  I. 

What  then  !    Would  I  measure  the  flood  immense  ? 

No ;  losing  of  self  all  thought  and  sense, 

Undaunted  the  awful  deep  I  brave, 

And  sink  and  dissolve  like  a  drop  in  the  wave. 

Thy  thought,  like  Thy  measureless  being,  no  line 

Can  fathom,  nor  term  nor  bound  confine. 

Yet  feel  I  no  dread,  for  I  think  with  delight 

That  Thy  love  is  as  vast  and  as  infinite. 


21. 

5E{j£  ilorti  tioct]^  accorbmrj  to  M^  ioill. 

/  a7n  so  sad  atid  care-oppressed  ! 

A^y  friend,  I  well  believe  'tis  true  ; 
I  should  be  quite  as  mtich  distressed. 

Had  I  as  many  lords  as  you. 
Lightning  and  hail,  and  fire  and  storms. 
Cattle  and  neighbours,  fowl  and  worms. 

Of  monarchs  what  a  train  ! 
For  me  I  have  one  only  Lord, 
And  all  that  host  fulfil  His  word, 
As  body-guards  the  king  obey  ; 
And  so  I  cast  my  cares  away. 

Dan.  iv.  34,  35.   "And  at  the  end  of  the  days,  I  Nebuchad- 
nezzar lifted  up  mine  eyes  unto  heaven,  and  mine  under- 


21.    The  Lord  doeth  according  to  His  zvill.        1 17 

standing  returned  unto  me,  and  I  blessed  the  Most  High, 
and  I  praised  and  honoured  Him  that  liveth  for  ever, 
whose  dominion  is  an  everlasting  dominion,  and  His 
kingdom  is  from  generation  to  generation  :  and  all  the 
inhabitants  of  the  earth  are  reputed  as  nothing  :  and  He 
doeth  according  to  His  will  in  the  army  of  heaven,  and 
among  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth ;  and  none  can  stay 
His  hand,  or  say  unto  Him,  What  doest  Thou  ?  " 

SO  spake  the  haughty  monarch  after  he  had  experienced 
how  heavy  is  the  hand  of  Him  who  is  the  King  of  kings, 
and  when  his  understanding  returned  to  him.  Alas  !  that 
man,  the  frail  child  of  clay,  whom  every  gust  of  fortune  drives 
from  his  place  like  the  dust  of  which  he  was  made,  should  need 
so  violent  a  tempest  to  awake  him  to  the  sense  of  his  impo- 
tence, and  never  discovers  that  all  human  works  and  devices 
hang  upon  threads  which  meet  in  a  single  hand,  until  that 
hand  wields  the  sceptre  in  wrath.  They  set  to  work,  calculate, 
consult,  and  dispose  of  all  things  at  their  pleasure,  never 
dreaming  that  without  the  Amen  from  on  high  all  they  do 
signifies  nothing,  and  that  at  any  moment  a  voice  from  heaven 
may  say,  "Take  counsel  together,  and  it  shall  come  to  nought'''^ 
It  is  true  man  cannot  altogether  hide  from  himself,  and  least 
of  all  they  who  possess  the  largest  share  of  earthly  power — I 
mean  kings  and  generals — that  to  give  checkmate  and  to  be 
checkmated  are  not  a  matter  of  mere  human  skill ;  for  while,  in 
a  thousand  instances,  the  most  subtle  devices  are  baffled,  in 
how  many  more  does  that  which  they  call  chance  decide  the 
upshot  and  the  victory?  In  place,  however,  of  praising  and 
honouring  the  Most  High,  they  imitate  the  heathen,  and  pros- 
trate themselves  before  the  dumb  idol  of  Destiny.  And  for 
what  reason  ?  For  this,  as  it  seems  to  me :  They  cannot 
brook  the  thought  that  the  success  of  their  enterprises  should 
depend  upon  a  supreme  will;  for  to  that  supreme  will  they 
would  then  require  to  subject  also  their  decrees.     They  there- 

1  Isa.  viii.  lo. 


1 1 8        21.   The  Lord  doeth  according  to  His  will. 

fore  banish  from  their  minds  the  thought  that  all  the  rods  of 
earthly  power  are  but  offshoots  from  the  lofty  sceptre  which 
rules  the  world,  and  should  therefore  adopt  that  sceptre's  laws  ; 
and  thus,  having  severed  their  enactments  from  God,  they 
sever  likewise  their  successes.  O  fools  !  you  may  perchance 
contrive  to  bury  your  terrors  for  a  holy  Lawgiver,  but  your 
terrors  for  a  righteous  Jicdge  will  still  wake  up  ;  and  the  proud 
self-complacency  which  you  may  now  and  then  feel  on  account 
of  some  successful  enterprise,  has  far  too  little  honey  to 
sweeten  the  many  draughts  of  wormwood  which  must  be 
incessantly  drained  by  him  who  sees  mere  human  powers  and 
projects  conflicting  upon  the  stage  of  the  world.  Who  could 
bear  to  think  that  either  the  woof  or  warp  of  our  life,  the  black 
balls  or  the  white,  were  committed  absolutely  into  human 
hands,  whether  our  own  or  of  other  men  ?  For  my  own  part, 
I  would  rather  say  with  the  pious  of  former  days, — 

The  proverb  may  be  well  believed, 
'Tis  good  to  be  by  God  deceived. 

The  thought  that  there  is  a  hand  which  none  can  stay,  may 
indeed  excite  alarm,  but  only  in  the  breast  of  him  who  is  un- 
acquainted with  the  heart  by  which  the  hand  is  governed.  To 
such  a  one  the  unknown  God  is  indeed  no  better  than  a  cold 
and  silent  destiny.  To  him,  however,  who  is  acquainted  with 
the  heart  of  God,  there  is  nothing  more  blessed  than  the  belief 
in  the  omnipotence  of  His  hand.  Already  in  the  Book  of 
Wisdom  we  read  :  ''  Forasmuch  as  Thou  art  righteous  Thyself, 
Thou  orderest  all  things  righteously,  thinking  it  not  agreeable 
with  Thy  power  to  condemn  him  that  hath  not  deserved  to  be 
punished  ;  for  Thy  power  is  the  beginning  of  righteousness, 
and  because  Thou  art  the  Lord  of  all  it  maketh  Thee  to  be 
gracious  unto  all."^  The  almighty  hand  in  which  I  believe  is 
the  hand  of  eternal  righteousness,  love,  and  7visdom.  How  can 
I  be  afraid  of  it?  Ought  I  not  much  rather  to  rejoice,  for  this 
very  reason — viz.,  because  the  eternal  righteousness,  love,  and 
1  Wisdom  of  Solomon,  xii.  15,  16. 


21.   The  Lord  doeth  according  to  His  will.        119 

wisdom  is  also  omnipotence,  and  therefore  can  never  lack  the 
means  of  gloriously  accomplishing  whatever  its  council  has 
ordained  ?  The  utmost  to  which  the  natural  man  can  attain, 
when  the  destiny  which  is  his  idol  has  shivered  to  pieces  all 
that  was  dear  to  his  heart,  is  resigjiation — that  breastplate  of  ice 
which,  after  all,  does  nothing  for  the  throbbing  heart  but  cool 
down  its  fever  from  the  hot  to  the  shivering  fit — that  decent 
sort  of  despair  which,  hke  a  poor  funeral  sermon,  tricks  out 
affliction  with  a  few  apothegms,  and  tries  to  dull  the  smart  of 
grief  with  phrases  learned  at  school — that  frigid  falsehood 
which  at  the  best  only  helps  us  to  be  willi?ig  x\ot  to  be  miserable 
when  our  misery  is  real  and  great.  It  still  leaves  us  slaves, 
forced  to  endure  the  will  of  a  master  who  is  a  stranger  and  un- 
known to  us.  We,  however,  who  through  grace  have  become 
childrefty  have  something  better  than  resignation.  We  k7io'w 
Him  from  whom  the  opposition  to  our  will  proceeds,  and  be- 
cause we  know  Him  we  resign  our  own  will  to  His.  In  this 
manner,  to  bear  the  will  of  God  becomes  a  meat  as  much  as  to 
do  it.  And  of  him  who  has  learned  that  lesson,  no  scourge  or 
rod  can  ever  more  make  a  slave,  for  he  continues  free  amidst 
all  his  sufferings.  Do  you  know  the  beautiful  sentiment  once 
uttered  by  such  an  emancipated  child  of  God  ?  "  If  my  God 
does  not  will  as  I  do,  I  will  as  He  does,  and  so  we  continue 
always  good  friends."  That  is  a  sentiment  which  has  wings. 
With  it  I  can  soar  into  the  clouds  and  warble  my  song  like  the 
birds  of  the  air.  Let  resignation,  with  the  ice  and  iron  about 
her  head  and  heart,  attempt  to  follow  me  if  she  can.  Children, 
a  palace  of  ice  with  its  silvery  frostwork  is  a  pretty  object  to 
look  at,  but  ox^y  from,  a  distance;  and  as  for  inhabiting  \t,  no 
one  would  do  so  for  all  the  world. 

It  appears  a  very  simple  truth  that  a  mother's  lap  would  be 
a  more  comfortable  place,  and  yet  there  have  been  clever  per- 
sons who  had  a  different  taste.  It  seems  to  me  a  strange 
thing,  and  well  calculated  to  excite  reflection,  that  God  often 
offers  to  men  wholesome  bread,  and  yet  that  they  prefer  to 
have  a  sto?ie.     He,  so  to  speak,  places  truth  in  their  very  path, 


120        21.    The  Lord  doeth  accordinz  to  His  ivilL 


<b 


so  that  they  can  scarcely  avoid  striking  it  with  their  foot; 
and  yet,  when  they  encounter  it  they  lift  their  foot,  and  with  a 
long  step  pass  over  it  and  are  away.  I  remember  reading,  in 
the  work  of  an  able  and  pious  Mohammedan,  that  there  are 
three  degrees  of  confidence  in  God.  The  first  is  that  in  which 
we  trust  Him  as  a  skilful  Agent  who  will  wisely  conduct  our 
cause  to  a  successful  issue ;  the  second  is  that  in  which  we 
trust  Him  as  the  babe  trusts  its  mothei';  in  the  third  we  submit 
passively  to  Him  as  the  corpse  does  to  the  hand  of  him  whose 
business  is  to  dress  the  dead.  And  this  last  kind  of  confidence, 
he  says,  is  the  best  of  the  three.  Certainly,  however,  the  man 
must  have  had  a  peculiar  taste.  For  where  an  option  is 
allowed,  who  would  not  choose  to  serve  his  God  alive  rather 
than  as  a  lifeless  cor_fse  1  All  honour  to  the  dead  !  I  cannot 
pass  a  body  wrapped  in  a  winding-sheet  without  pious  and 
reverential  thoughts.  But  yet,  so  long  as  I  am  among  the 
living,  I  think  it  better  to  cast  in  my  lot  with  them.  Who 
would  not  rather  be  at  his  mother's  side  than  in  the  hands  of 
the  undertaker? 

And  if  in  the  Christian  community  there  are  numbers  of 
Heathens,  and  even  Jews,  why  should  we  wonder  that  there 
are  also  Turks  ? — men  whose  taste  is  as  much  of  a  piece  with 
that  of  the  pious  Mussulman  as  one  egg  is  like  another.  For 
instance,  did  we  not  hear  them  saying  during  the  prevalence 
of  the  cholera,  "Now  is  the  time  to  embrace  the  Turkish  creed^""^ 
In  it  they  fancy  that  faith  attains  to  full  vigour  and  the  heart 
to  true  rest.  And  to  rest  the  heart  does  attain,  but  it  is  the 
rest  of  the  churchyard^  and  not  the  rest  of  the  Sabbath.  The 
Turk  has  really  no  advantage  over  the  Heathen  idolater.  What 
he  believes  in  is  a  torpid  omnipotence,  which,  as  it  lacks  the 
eye  of  love  and  wisdom,  is  nothing  but  the  same  blind  desliny 
in  which  the  Heathen  believed,  and  regarded  as  the  supreme 
power  which  lorded  it  over  all  the  other  deities.  For  this 
reason,  too,  both  Turk  and  Heathen  refuse  to  employ  the 
means  and  appliances  provided  by  a  kind  Providence  as  our 
auxiliaries  in  the  conflict  with  fate.     We  Christians,  however, 


2 1 .   The  Lord  doeth  accordinz  to  His  will.        1 2 1 


<b 


know  that  the  same  hand  which  dispenses  our  afflictions  fur- 
nishes also  those  medicinal  agents  which  help  to  combat  them. 
Hence  even  the  sharp  dispensations  of  God  do  not  deaden  our 
exertions,  but  rather  rouse  and  stimulate  our  energies.  Let 
others  who  know  no  better  resign  themselves  with  folded 
hands  and  shackled  feet  to  impending  calamities.  For  us 
Christians  these  ought  rather  to  excite  and  evoke  any  powers 
within  us  that  may  be  under  restraint.  In  every  individual 
there  are  powers  which  otherwise  might  perhaps  lie  dormant 
for  ever,  but  which  awake  when  the  hammer  of  the  divine  dis- 
pensations deals  its  thundering  strokes. 

Alas  !  it  is  no  easy  task  to  exercise  a  truly  Christian  faith  in 
the  Omnipotent.  How  clearly  the  unbehef  of  my  heart  reveals 
itself  afresh  whenever  God  is  pleased  to  beset  my  path  with 
thorns  !  We  know  and  repeat  to  ourselves  a  thousand  times, 
that  as  the  eternal  wisdom,  justice,  and  love  is  likewise  omni- 
potence, it  is  able  at  every  moment  to  execute  what  it  wills. 
But  notwithstanding,  how  hard  we  find  it  to  acknowledge  the 
disposal  of  Omnipotence  in  the  thorns  as  well  as  in  the  roses 
that  bestrew  our  path  \  how  hard  to  believe  that  it  is  the  will 
of  God  which  calls  us  to  suffer^  not  less  than  when  it  calls  us 
to  act !  We  nourish  the  delusion  that  it  is  only  the  act  lying 
behind  the  suffering,  the  freedom  behind  the  fetter,  which  God 
wills,  and  not  the  suffering  and  the  fetter  too.  These,  we 
fancy,  have  been  interposed  by  some  foreign  hand;  and  in  this 
manner  we  forego  the  blessing  which  the  Lord  intends  afflictions 
and  restraints  and  hindrances  to  convey.  The  idea  that  the 
divine  Omnipotence  removes  distress,  is  one  on  which  every 
man  broods  far  longer  than  upon  the  thought  that  it  is  also 
divine  Omnipotence  that  inflicts  it,  and  that  there  must  have 
been  as  good  grounds  for  settdijig  as  for  mejiding  it.  Men 
are  always  saying,  "  God  will  soon  make  it  well  again." 
Why  do  they  not  as  often  say,  ''  It  was  God  who  made  it 
what  it  is  "  ? 

Think  not  that  from  zomQ  foe  the  burden  came, 
And  all  you  owe  to  God  is  strength  to  bear  it. 


122        21.   The  Lord  doeth  according  to  His  will. 

The  cross,  the  curb,  are  His,  because  the  same 

Almighty  power  must  will  who  could  repair  it. 
Seek  then,  my  child,  thy  Father's  mind  to  know 
In  what  befalls  thee,  be  it  weal  or  woe. 

Almighty  God,  whose  hand  none  can  stay,  and  of  whom 
none  can  ask,  ^'  What  doest  Thou  ? "  I  reckon  it  a  blessed 
thing  that  all  that  I  am  and  all  that  I  possess  are  solely  at  Thy 
disposal.  Weak  as  a  child,  why  should  I  resist  Thee  ?  inas- 
much as  I  must  perish  if  I  do.  FooHsh  as  a  child,  why  should 
I  question  Thee?  Thou  knowest  best  what  Thou  doest.  I 
count  it  my  greatest  happiness  to  have  Thee  for  my  absolute 
God,  and  to  know  that  I  am  the  work  of  Thy  hand.  And 
why  not,  assured  as  I  am  that  Thine  omnipotence  is  but  the 
omnipotence  of  wisdom  and  love  ?  With  such  a  belief,  a  man 
ought  always  to  be  strong.  There  are,  however,  seasons  in 
which  I  feel  myself  very  weak ;  but  oh,  do  Thou  arm  me  with 
that  strength  of  mind  which  can  taste  in  the  bitters  Thou 
offerest,  no  less  than  in  the  sweets,  Thy  loving  and  almighty 
will.  What  though  the  cup  be  bitter,  ought  it  not  to  be 
sweetened  by  the  hand  which  presents  it  ?  Let  suns  then  be 
extinguished,  and  worlds  sink  into  the  abyss,  I  have  learned, 
O  Almighty  God,  to  know  Thee  so  well,  as  never  more  to  have 
any  doubts  about  Thee.  I  wrap  myself  in  the  outermost  hem 
of  Thy  mantle,  and  shut  my  eyes  in  soft  repose,  like  the  babe 
upon  the  mother's  lap,  for  I  know  whose  are  the  eyes  that 
watch  over  me  for  ever. 

O  what  a  blessed  thing  to  rest 

Soothed  in  Jehovah's  loving  arms  ! 
As  sleeps  the  babe  on  mother's  breast, 

Safe  from  all  troubles  and  alarms. 

Cheer  up,  my  soul !  thy  place  remains 

Appointed  on  the  eternal  hills  ; 
And  what  a  heart  of  love  ordains, 

A  hand  omnipotent  fulfils. 


22.  He  is  angry  with  the  Wicked.  123 

22. 

^z  IS  angrg  toftfj  tje  TOicketi, 

God  is  a  healthful  light  or  a  consuming  fire — 
Choose  which  thou  wilt,  and  take  thy  heart's  desire  ; 
His  children  all  bask  in  the  cheerful  rays, 
The  stubbor7i  sinner  brooks  the  angry  blaze. 

Rom.  i.  18.  "  For  the  wrath  of  God  is  revealed  from  heaven 
against  all  ungodliness  and  unrighteousness  of  men  who 
hold  the  truth  in  unrighteousness." 

Heb.  xii.  28,  29.  "Wherefore  we  receiving  a  kingdom 
which  cannot  be  moved,  let  us  have  grace,  whereby  we 
may  serve  God  acceptably  with  reverence  and  godly  fear  : 
for  our  God  is  a  consuming  fire." 

I  Peter,  i.  17.  "And  if  ye  call  on  the  Father,  who  without 
respect  of  persons  judgeth  according  to  every  man's  work, 
pass  the  time  of  your  sojourning  here  in  fear." 

"  ^  T  7 HO  knoweth  the  power  of  Thine  anger?  who  fears 
V  V  as  he  ought  Thy  wrath  P"^  was  the  exclamation  of 
the  veteran  Moses.  Alas  !  is  it  not  an  exclamation  which,  in 
these  days  of  ours,  ought  to  be  rung  into  the  ears  of  men  from 
every  pulpit?  Blindness  has  fallen  upon  this  generation. 
"  Thou  hast  stricken  them,  but  they  have  not  grieved ;  Thou 
hast  consumed  them,  but  they  have  refused  to  receive  correc- 
tion. "^  God  is  love;  and  therefore,  in  place  of  keeping  to 
Himself  the  felicity  and  the  blessings  which  He  enjoys.  He  is 
willing  to  share  them  with  us.  If  men,  however,  despise  and 
reject  them.  His  love  is  converted  into  a  consuming  fire.  In 
His  inmost  heart  He  desires  to  bless ;  and  therefore  it  is  written, 
''  He  doth  not  afilict  willingly^  nor  grieve  the  children  of  men."^ 
But  should  the  children  of  men  refuse  His  blessing,  He  is  quite 
1  Psalm  xc.  II— Luther's  vers.  ^  jer.  v.  3.  3  Lam.  iii.  33. 


124  22.  He  is  angry  zvitJi  the  Wicked, 

as  much  in  earnest  to  smite  and  retaliate.  When  the  terrors 
of  conscience  awaken  in  the  sinner — when  it  becomes  openly 
manifest  that  iniquity  is  the  people's  ruin — when  the  wicked 
fall  into  the  pit  which  they  themselves  digged,  and  when  sin 
brings  forth  death — who  will  deny  that  these  things  are  the 
wrath  of  God  against  unrighteousness?  No  doubt,  God's 
wrath  is  different  from  the  wrath  of  man  ;i  but  neither  does 
He  love  in  man's  passionate  and  capricious  way.  They  who 
deny  His  wrath  must  have  had  little  experience  of  the  heat  of 
temptation,  when,  according  to  Luther,  "Conscience  sweats 
as  in  a  bath,  and  the  Almighty  casts  the  sinner  into  the 
furnace :  as  it  is  written,  '  Yea,  I  will  gather  you,  and  blow 
upon  you  in  the  fire  of  my  wrath,  and  ye  shall  be  melted  in  the 
midst  thereof;' "-  when  He  sets  in  array  before  his  eyes  all  his 
secret  misdeeds,  so  that  he  is  forced  to  cry  out  with  David, 
"  Thine  arrows  stick  fast  in  me,  and  Thy  hand  presseth  me 
sore.  There  is  no  soundness  in  my  flesh  because  of  Thine 
anger ;  neither  is  there  any  rest  in  my  bones  because  of  my 
sin.  For  mine  iniquities  are  gone  over  mine  head  :  as  an 
heavy  burden  they  are  too  heavy  for  me."  ^  Can  any  one  fail 
to  see  in  all  this  the  expression  of  a  keen  and  active  abhor- 
rence of  iniquity?  Were  one  to  call  it  mere  love,  he  would 
feel  that  he  was  lying  to  himself.  No  doubt,  the  love  of  God 
is  not  wholly  extinguished,  although  His  anger  is  so  hot.  For 
if  the  fierceness  of  His  wrath  have  produced  its  due  effect,  the 
sun  of  His  grace  will  rise  again.  Has  He  not  said,  "  I  kill, 
and  I  make  alive  ;  I  wound,  and  I  heal  "  ?  "  In  my  wrath  I 
smote  thee,  but  .in  my  favour  have  I  had  mercy  on  thee."^  Nor 
is  that  all ;  for  inasmuch  as  in  His  inmost  heart  He  desires  to 
bless  all  the  works  of  His  hand,  His  wrath  itself  is  a  wrath  of 
love,  which  no  doubt  bespeaks  His  abhorrence  of  sin,  and  His 
determination  to  punish  it  by  the  penalties  it  inflicts,  but 
which  likewise  intends  to  soften  the  heart,  and  while  destroy- 
ing the  sin,  to  save  the  sinner.     Accordingly,  His  wi-ath  and 

1  James,  i.  20.  ^  Ezek.  xxii.  21.  3  Psalni  xxxviii.  2-4. 

4  Deut.  xxxii.  39 ;  Isa.  Ix,  10. 


22.  He  is  ajigiy  with  the  Wicked.  125 

vengeance  are  poured  out  in  proportion  as  the  stubborn  heart 
refuses  to  melt  in  the  divine  furnace,  and  merely  feels  \hQpai?i, 
but  does  not  reap  the  profit,  of  the  chastisement.  While,  on 
the  other  hand,  in  the  same  degree  in  which  the  stubborn 
heart  consents  to  soften,  the  Lord  shows  forth  His  love.  Just  as 
in  the  promises  and  threatenings  of  the  law,  so  in  all  the  pun- 
ishments He  inflicts,  He  declares,  ''  Behold,  I  set  before  you 
the  way  of  life  and  the  way  of  death."  ^  In  this  view  there  is, 
no  doubt,  truth  in  what  the  poet  says  : — 

' '  God  is  as  near  to  Satan  as  to  the  Seraphim — 
The  difference  is  that  Satan  dares  to  turn  his  bade  on  Him." 

But  just  because  Satan  turns  his  back  upon  God,  God  is  near 
to  Satan,  not  as  the  Sun  of  grace,  but  as  a  consuming  fire ; 
whereas,  would  Satan  only  turn  his  face  to  God,  God  would 
then  be  near  to  him  too  as  a  Sun  of  grace.  And  inasmuch  as 
the  ground  of  His  being  is  goodwill  to  all  the  creatures,  so 
that  He  would  rather  bless  than  destroy  them,  the  Scriptures 
declare  with  greater  truth  that  God  is  far  from  the  sinner  who 
turns  his  back  upon  Him,  and  to  whom,  therefore.  He  mani- 
fests Himself  as  a  consuming  fire,  although  even  in  that  dis- 
tance there  is  still  on  God's  part  a  certain  interest  in  the 
sinner,  for  in  punishing  He  still  cleaves  to  him,  and  does  not 
wholly  cast  him  off. 

Give  me,  O  holy  Being,  enlightened  eyes  that  I  may  never 
suffer  the  weakness  of  the  flesh  to  blind  me,  but  may  still  hold 
fast  the  persuasion  that  Thou  art  in  earnest  alike  in  Thy  wrath 
as  in  Thy  love.  By  grace  Thou  hast  adopted  me  to  be  Thy 
child,  but  even  Thy  grace  I  may  turn  into  licentiousness,  and 
the  old  man  within  me  may  from  time  to  time  become  manifest 
in  works  of  the  flesh.  And  when  such  things  happen,  do  I  not, 
O  Lord,  subject  myself  to  Thy  righteous  indignation?  Even 
we  who  are  Christians  ought,  as  is  expressed  in  Thy  Word, 
''  to  pass  the  time  of  our  sojourning  here  in  fear''  True,  it  is 
also  written  that  "perfect  love  casteth  out  fear;"  but  the  fear 

1  Jer.  xxi.  8. 


126  22.  He  is  angry  with  the  Wicked. 

which  is  there  meant  is  only  servile  fear.  Even  the  reverejice 
of  a  child  towards  its  parent  is  a  sort  of  fear,  and  there  must 
always  be  reverence  in  the  love  of  the  inferior  to  the  superior. 
"  Ye  call  Him  Father,  who  without  respect  of  persons  judgeth 
according  to  every  man's  work,"  are  the  words  of  an  apostle. 
Forasmuch,  then,  as  our  Judge  is  our  Father,  we  certainly  do 
not  fear  Him  as  bondsmen ;  but  being,  as  we  are,  frail  children, 
we  do  bear  about  with  us  a  reverential  awe  of  Him.  It  is  by 
no  means  indifferent  whether  as  Christians  we  believe  or  reject 
those  stern  examples  of  God's  wrath  which  are  presented  to  us 
in  Scripture,  because  our  love,  as  yet,  is  far  from  being  suffi- 
ciently strong  to  beget  that  sensibility  of  conscience  which 
shrinks  even  from  the  secret  thought  that  is  unfit  for  the  divine 
eye.  Necessity  is  therefore  laid  upon  us  to  pass  the  time  of 
our  sojourning  here  /;/  fear,  and  in  fear  to  seek  to  serve  and 
please  Him.  In  the  same  way,  however,  as  the  wrath  of  God 
is  a  wrath  of  love,  so  likewise  is  the  fear  of  His  children  also  a 
fear  of  love.  In  truth,  what  is  there  of  which  we,  whom  the 
Son  hath  made  free  and  translated  into  the  kingdom  of  grace, 
are  afraid  ?  Is  it  strokes  of  the  rod  ?  Is  it  chastisements  by 
the  hand  of  justice  ?  Yes,  doubtless,  these  are  things  which 
we  too  fear ;  but  we  fear  something  worse — we  fear  to  lose  the 
heart  of  God  by  our  sins. 

Chastise  me  for  my  wanderings  with  the  rod, 

And  I  the  pain,  however  great,  will  bear ; 
But  if  Thy  heart  Thou  bar  to  me,  O  God, 

That  punishment  will  drive  me  to  despair. 

I  now  also  understand  what  was  meant  by  those  devout 
souls  whose  desire  it  was  rather  to  be  in  hell  with  the  love  of 
God  than  without  His  love  to  be  in  heaven,  and  who  were 
ready  to  resign  all  His  gifts,  and  eternal  salvation  to  boot, 
were  but  the  Giver  to  be  made  their  portion,  as  one  of  them 
thus  sang : — 

' '  Who  only  asks  for  gifts,  his  worship  pays 
Not  to  God,  but  the  creature,  when  he  prays." 

Yes — to  lose  the  heart  of  God  is  the  greatest  of  all  losses. 


23-    Vengeance  is  mine,  saith  the  Lord.  127 

What  we  have  most  to  fear  in  punishment  is  its  tendency  to 
harden  the  heart.  But  now  that  in  Christ  Jesus  I  have  a 
gracious  God,  I  am  thankful  to  say  my  heart  is  becoming 
softer  j  and  so  no  longer  does  the  face  of  death  stare  out  upon 
me  from  my  chastisements.  Rather  is  it  the  water  of  life 
which  flows  forth.  I  look  into  the  open  heart  of  my  Father, 
from  which  they  all  proceed,  and  I  see  that  He  Himself  suffers 
in  all  the  sufferings  He  inflicts  upon  His  child  \  and,  assured 
of  this,  I  exclaim  with  exultation — 

O  Love  Eternal,  if  the  rod  alone 

Avail  to  turn  my  wandering  heart  to  Thee, 
And  touch  it  with  Thy  holy  flame,  strike  on  ! 

Spare  not,  though  life  and  limb  the  forfeit  be. 
Of  every  stroke  the  bitter  pain  Thou  provest 

Not  less  than  I,  O  ever  faithful  heart ! 
Shall  I  not  love  Thee,  then,  as  me  Thou  lovest  ? 

Smite  on  !  I Jlinch  not,  keen  though  be  the  smart. 


23. 

FcnsEance  is  mine,  saitft  tj&e  ILorti. 

God  is  all  love,  is  now  the  ge?ieral plea, 
Say  of  what  sort,  perchafice  we  may  agree. 
The  noble  name  is  deemed  of  little  worth. 
And  used  to  baptise  many  a  spuriotis  birth. 
Mean  you  the  love  the  monarch's  breast  that  fills 
Who  scalers  blessings  o'er  a  thousand  hills, 
Who  high  and  low  with  equal  eye  regards, 
And  gives  to  all  desert  its  due  rewards  f 
Such  is  the  love  of  God,  but  love  like  this 
A  spark  of  generous  wrath  accompanies  ; 
For  majesty  wlien  wro?iged  by  wrath  mtist prove 
That  royal  HONOUR'S  matched  with  royal  LOVE. 

Jer.  xxxii.  19.  "Thine  eyes  are  open  upon  all  the  ways  of 
the  sons  of  men  :  to  give  every  one  according  to  his  ways, 
and  according  to  the  fruit  of  his  doings." 


128  23-    Vengeance  is  mine^  saith  the  Lord. 

Deut.  xxxii.  35.    "To  me  belongeth  vengeance  and  ;t^^w- 

pense!^ 
Psalm  xviii.  26.    "With  the  pure  Thou  wilt  show  Thyself 

pure  ;  and  with  the  froward  Thou  wilt  show  Thyself  fro- 

ward."i 
Matt.  xvi.  27.  "  For  the  Son  of  man  shall  come  in  the  glory 

of  His  Father  with  His  angels  ;  and  then  He  shall  reward 

every  man  according  to  his  works." 

BESIDE  the  thousand  loving  admonitions  and  sweet  entice- 
ments addressed  to  us  in  the  Word  of  God,  how  many 
thunderbolts  of  vengeance  and  lightnings  of  wrath  are  likewise 
there  !  Even  before  the  sacred  Scriptures  had  become  for  me 
the  Word  of  truth,  never  could  I  persuade  myself  that  the  God 
who  was  so  often  preached  from  the  pulpit  as  wearing  perpetu- 
ally a  gracious  smile,  covering  every  sore,  and  always  and  every- 
where sparing  and  caressing,  was  the  God  of  the  Bible.  A 
very  different  Being  is  He  of  whom  in  the  Old  Testament  it  is 
written,  "  Thou  art  not  a  God  that  hath  pleasure  in  wickedness, 
neither  shall  evil  dwell  with  Thee."  ^  And  again,  "  The  Lord 
thy  God  is  a  consuming  fire,  even  a  jealous  God."^  And 
again,  "  The  Lord  shall  go  forth  as  a  mighty  man.  He  shall 
stir  up  jealousy  like  a  man  of  war."^  A  very  different  God, 
indeed, — and  that  those  preachers  themselves  admit.  But  not 
less  is  the  God  of  the  New  Testament  a  very  different  Being — 
He  who,  when  Israel  knew  not  the  time  of  her  visitation, 
caused  Jerusalem  to  be  kept  in  on  every  side,  and  the  abomi- 
nation of  desolation  to  be  planted  in  the  holy  place,  and  left 
not  there  one  stone  upon  another :  ^  He  who,  in  the  infant 
Church,  punished  with  instant  death  the  lie  told  by  two  Chris- 
tians to  an  inspired  apostle  :  ^  He  who,  as  much  as  the  God  of 
the  Old  Testament,  is  a  God  of  judgment  and  fiery  indigna- 
tion, which  shall  devour  the  adversaries.'^      What  an  over- 

1  I.e.,  Thoutreatest  every  one  according  to  his  deserts.  ^  Psalm  v.  4. 

3  Deut.  iv.  24.  •*  Isa.  xlii.  13,  ^  Luke,  xix.  42-44 ;  Matt.  xxiv.  15. 

s  Acts,  V.  10.  ^  Heb.  x.  27 ;  xii.  29. 


23-    Vengeance  is  mine,  saith  the  Lord.  129 

powering  impression  of  the  severity  of  the  divine  justice  we 
receive,  when  we  find  the  Saviour,  while  with  all  gentleness 
and  love  He  weeps  over  the  ungodly  nation, ^  nevertheless  in- 
timating the  inevitable  divine  judgments  which  would  accom- 
pany His  own  rejection  !  And  again,  when,  although  Himself 
overwhelmed  by  the  great  waters  of  tribulation,  and  upon  the 
way  to  the  place  of  execution,  He  cannot  help  pointing  to  the 
dark  cloud  of  wrath  which  He  saw  gathering  over  the  city,  and 
utters  the  affecting  and  significant  words :  "  Daughters  of 
Jerusalem,  weep  not  for  me,  but  weep  for  yourselves,  and  for 
your  children.  For,  behold,  the  days  are  coming,  in  the  which 
they  shall  say.  Blessed  are  the  barren,  and  the  wombs  that 
never  bare,  and  the  paps  which  never  gave  suck.  Then  shall 
they  begin  to  say  to  the  mountains,  Fall  on  us ;  and  to  the 
hills.  Cover  us.  For  if  they  do  these  things  in  a  green  tree, 
what  shall  be  done  in  the  dry?  "  ^ 

But  why  should  it  be  necessary  to  collect  testimonies  of 
Scripture,  and  expatiate  at  large  i-especting  the  wrath  of  God 
against  sin  ?  When  acts  speak  there  is  no  need  of  an  orator ; 
and  oh  how  loudly  have  acts  spoken  here  !  Let  a  man  only 
read  the  Books  of  Samuel  and  the  Kings.  So  closely  do  we 
there  find  punishments  treading  on  the  heels  of  sin,  and  the 
scourge  following  rebellion  against  God,  that  they  may  truly 
be  called  Journals  of  Divine  Justice.  In  profane  history, 
likewise — although  w^e  require  to  finger  the  leaves  somewhat 
more — still  we  now  and  then  come  to  a  page  where,  upon  a 
ground  all  worn  and  yellow  with  tears,  great  and  solemn  letters 
start  into  the  view  of  even  the  most  careless  reader,  and  pro- 
claim aloud,  "  Be  not  deceived;  God  is  not  mocked."^ 

No  doubt  it  does  sometimes  appear  that  Divine  Justice  is 
like  a  great  monarch  who  has  fallen  asleep,  and  with  whom  his 
courtiers  meanwhile  make  sport,  but  who  from  time  to  time 
wakes  and  starts  up,  and  whose  every  glance  is  then  a  flash  of 
lightning,  which  shivers  into  pieces  and  prostrates  all  around. 
Still  the  footsteps  of  the  indignant  Monarch,  when  thus  roused, 
1  Luke,  xix.  41 ;  Matt,  xxiii.  37.         2  Luke,  xxiii.  28-31.  3  Gal.  vi.  7. 

I 


130  23-    Vengeance  is  mine,  saitJi  tJie  Lord. 

must  certainly  have  been  often  and  audibly  heard  in  every 
corner  of  the  earth ;  for  there  is  scarce  a  nation  to  be  found 
which  does  not  believe  that  there  is  a  God  who  governs  the 
world  according  to  the  eternal  laws  of  justice.     One  of  the  sages 
of  antiquity,  when  asked  the  question,  "What  is  God  doing?" 
returned  the  eminently  beautiful  answer,  "  He  is  humbling  the 
lofty,  and  exalting  the  humble."     The  Grecian  poets  likewise 
spoke  of  a  Goddess  of  justice,  who  holds  in  her  hand  a  sharp 
and  bitter  sword,  and  with  it  transfixes  the  heart ;  for  not  un- 
observed remains  the  crime  of  him  who  audaciously  violates 
the  divine  law.     She  has  officers  in  her  train,  and  their  names 
are  Destruction.,  Curse,  and  Punishment?-     Under  the  title  of 
Nemesis,  too,  they  venerated  a  power  which,  when  human 
pride  oversteps  its  appointed  bounds,  forces  it  back  into  its 
place,  and  with  its  lightning  dashes  to  pieces  whoever  dares  to 
oppose  it.     Experiences  and  proofs  of  this  cannot  have  been 
hard  to  find,  for  otherwise  how  would  the  proverbs  of  so  many 
nations  propound  such  serious  lessons  as  the  following  :  "  Ill- 
gotten  gold  is  no  gain;"   "Unfairly  won  is  soon  wasted;" 
"  The  crop  will  show  how  the  field  was  ploughed ; "  "  Pride 
goeth  before  a  fall  j "  "  Honesty  is  the  best  policy;"  "Truth 
will  be  out  though  hid  in  a  well"?     In  no  country  of  the 
earth,  not  even  among  the  giddiest  and  most  frivolous  nations, 
would  you  easily  find  an  individual  whom  an  inward  feeling  of 
awe  would  not  restrain  from  such  a  pitch  of  insolent  blasphemy 
as  impiously  to  challenge  Divine  Justice  to  a  trial  of  strength. 
Men  are  capable  of  forgettijig,  but  they  are  not  bold  enough  to 
defy  it.     Just  as  in  a  dark  night  a  man  would  shrink  from  call- 
ing aloud  upon  himself,  lest,   perchance,   some  voice   might 
answer ;  even  so  will  the  dread  of  a  response  deter  him  from 
invoking  the  Avenger  in  heaven.     Where  any  case  of  the  kind 
has  occurred,  there  have  not  been  wanting,  even  in  our  own 
day,  dreadfully  serious  manifestations  "  that  God  still  lives." 
The  cases,  though  isolated,  are  yet  at  the  same  time  so  deci- 
sive, that  even  irreligious  men  find  it  hard  to  attribute  them  to 

1  ^schylus. 


23-    Vengeance  is  mine,  saitJi  the  Lord.  131 

chance.  Thus,  among  other  things,  witnesses  of  unimpeach- 
able veracity  tell  us  of  persons  insulting  the  crucifix,  and  defy- 
ing Him  whom  it  represents,  and  whose  challenge  was  answered 
in  a  very  terrible  way. 

Is,  then,  the  ame)idt?ie7it  of  the  sinner  to  be  looked  upon  as 
the  sole  object  of  such  penal  justice?  I  have  made  observa- 
tions upon  myself  while  correcting  children  who  were  dear  to 
me,  and  it  is  true  that  we  punish  them  with  love,  but  not 
altogether  fro?n  love.  The  punishment  involves  a  certain  ele- 
ment of  retribution,  and  that  in  proportion  as  the  culpable 
child  shows  himself  headstrong  and  incorrigible.  Supposing 
it  to  be  known,  with  all  conceivable  certainty,  that  within  a 
given  time — until,  for  example,  a  new  preceptor  was  employed, 
or  a  new  method  of  training  adopted — no  change  in  the  be- 
haviour of  a  perverse  and  disobedient  child  could  be  expected, 
it  would  not  be  possible,  during  the  interval,  to  treat  such  a 
child  in  exactly  the  same  way  as  other  children  j  and  this  im- 
possibility would  arise,  not  from  any  apprehension  that  our 
kindness  would  be  abused,  but  from  a  conviction  of  the  neces- 
sity of  retribution,  or,  in  other  words,  a  sense  oi  justice.  On 
the  other  hand,  a  child,  after  some  flagrant  transgression,  may 
be  deeply  penitent,  and  yet  we  feel  constrained  to  punish  it. 
Nay,  it  has  happened  to  myself  to  hear  a  young  offender  in  the 
deepest  contrition  say,  "  I  feel  that  what  I  have  done  is  so 
wrong  that  I  must  be  punished."  Moreover,  the  punishment 
inflicted  by  the  magistracy  is  merely  an  image  of  that  of  God. 
And  why  does  the  magistrate  punish  ?  The  sentence  of  death 
upon  the  malefactor  runs  in  these  terms  :  ^'  As  a  Just  punish- 
ment to  himself,  and  a  warning  example  to  others.^'  Accordingly, 
neither  the  example  to  others,  nor  yet  the  malefactor's  own 
amendment,  is  the  chief  reason  for  his  punishment — but  retri- 
bution. He  has  infringed  the  general  law,  and  therefore  is  his 
individual  right  infringed,  and  violence  done  to  his  property 
or  person.  The  weight  of  his  transgression  is  ascertained,  and 
with  the  same  measure  with  which  he  did  mete  is  it  measured 
to  him  again.     That  is  iustice  among  men  :  and  can  the  case 


132  23-    Vengeance  is  mine,  saith  the  Lord. 

be  different  with  the  justice  of  God?  Sin  is  an  aggression 
upon  the  right  which  pertains  to  Him  as  absolute  Lord  over 
His  creatures;  and  is  it  not  just  to  measure  to  the  sinner 
again  with  the  same  measure  with  which  he  measured  unto 
God  ?  "  In  the  Hght  of  the  king's  countenance,"  says  Solo- 
mon, "  is  life  ;  and  his  favour  is  as  a  cloud  of  the  latter  rain."  ^ 
Yes ;  but  would  we  be  conscious  of  this  if  it  were  not  also  true 
that  "  the  fear  of  a  king  is  as  the  roaring  of  a  lion  :  whoso  pro- 
voketh  him  to  anger  sinneth  against  his  own  soul"?^  The 
love  of  God  is  indeed  a  good  thing ;  unless,  however,  it  be 
seasoned  by  a  spice  of  His  holiness,  one  is  tempted  to  think 
of  the  saying  of  Job  :  "  Can  that  which  is  unsavoury  be  eaten 
without  salt  ?  or  is  there  any  taste  in  the  white  of  an  egg  ?  "  ^ 
Oh  that  our  preachers  would  but  infuse  into  their  insipid  dis- 
courses upon  the  character  of  God  some  portion  of  that  stern 
and  pungent  salt  so  plentifully  supplied  by  the  writings  of  the 
prophets  !  The  Word  of  the  Lord  has  said,  "  Every  one  shall 
be  salted  with  fire,  and  every  sacrifice  shall  be  salted  with 
salt."*  In  the  oblations  of  the  Old  Testament,  honey,  that  so 
easily  turns  into  acid,  was  forbidden  to  be  used  \  they  required 
to  be  salted  with  salt :  and  shall  not  the  God  who  calls  for 
pungent  salt  upon  every  oblation  which  is  to  be  acceptable  to 
Him,  have  pungent  salt  also  in  His  own  nature  ?  That  the 
Lord  is  a?i  avenger  and  will  repay ^  is  the  true  salt  in  the  belief 
of  the  Divine  Being. 

Yes — he  who  has  become  sensible  of  God's  righteous  indig- 
nation against  himself,  though  he  may  once  have  allowed  such 
sermons  to  slip  softly  down  his  throat,  will  at  last  surfeit  at 
their  descriptions  of  God's  love,  which  are  as  tasteless  as  the 
white  of  an  egg,  and  destitute  alike  of  earnestness  and  pith. 
"  Hast  thou  found  honey?"  says  Solomon  \  "  eat  so  much  as 
is  s7ifficientfor  thee,  lest  thou  be  filled  therewith,  and  vomit  it."  ^ 
How  they  come  to  preach  in  this  style  is  obvious  enough. 
That  which  a  man  has  not  in  himself  neither  does  he  ascribe 
to  his  God. 
1  Prov.  xvi.  15.     2  Prov.  xx.  2.     ^  job,  vi.  6.      ^  Mark,  ix.  49.     ^  Prov.  xxv,  16. 


1 


23.    Vengeance  is  mine,  saith  the  Lord.  133 

All  for  themselves  a  God  devise, 
And  so  the  true  God  they  despise. 

No  wrong  whatever  is  done  to  love  by  the  beHef  of  a  God 
who  is  the  avenger  of  evil.     If  the  irreligious  man  will  submit 
to  be  warned — if,  when  taught  to  his  cost  what  the  infringe- 
ment of  God's  sacred  and  inviolable  law  entails,  he  take  home 
the  admonition  and  learn  to  do  what  is  right  and  good,  he  has 
this  at  his  option.     And  the  like  obtains  with  us  who  have  the 
grace  to  be  His  children.    The  corrections  to  which  we,  no  less 
than  others,  are  subjected,  bear,  as  a  blessed  fruit,  our  escape 
from  condemnation,  according  to  the  words  of  the  apostle, 
that  "  when  we  are  judged  we  are  chastened  of  the  Lord,  that 
we  should  not  be  condemned  with  the  world."  ^    From  the  fact 
that  God  exercises  rigour  even  towards  His  children,  and  over- 
looks none  of  our  faults,  unbelievers  ought  to  see  what  will 
one  day  be  the  issue  for  them.     As  St  Peter  says,  "  The  time 
is  come  that  judgment  must  begin  at  the  house  of  God  :  and 
if  it  first  begin  with  us,  what  shall  the  end  be  of  them  that 
obey  not  the  Gospel  of  God  ?  "  ^     If,  however,  the  stubborn 
heart  refuse  to  learn  the  lesson  taught  by  divine  retribution,  it 
is  free  to  do  so,  but:  does  it  at  its  own  risk;  nay,  under  the 
strokes  of  the  divine  hand,  it  may  even  proceed  from  bad  to 
worse,  and  from  its  impure  depths  foam  out  murmurs  and 
curses  and  blasphemies.      That,  however,   does  not  disturb 
divine  justice.     When  cast  into  the  wine-press,  the  grapes  will 
emit  the  juice  that  is  in  them,  whether  it  be  sweet  or  sour. 
The  knave  who  lurks  in  the  heart  would  as  certainly  have  dis- 
covered himself  in  the  gentle  sunbeams — according  to  the  say- 
ing of  the  Emperor  Charles,  that  the  sun  melts  only  wax,  and 
hardens  only  mud.     This  process  goes  on  until  it  reaches  the 
judgment  of  obduracy,  and  then  sin  itself  becomes  the  sinner's 
scourge,  so  that  he  is  as  tow,  and  what  he  does  as  a  spark, 
and  both  burn  together.^     Even,  however,  in  a  case  like  this, 
where  the  vials  of  divine  wrath  are  emptied  upon  an  ungodly 
man,  still,  properly  speaking,  the  love  of  God  is  never  clean 
1  I  Cor.  xi.  32.  2  I  pet^  jy.  17.  3  iga.  i.  31. 


134  23-    Vengeance  is  mine^  saitJi  the  Loj'd. 

gone.  Must  it  not  be  said,  that  so  long  as  He  lifts  the  rod  to 
smite  and  chastise  him,  it  is  a  sign  that  He  still  bears  him  on 
His  heart,  or  at  least  in  His  memory,  and  has  not  set  him 
loose  from  all  restraint?  And  even  for  the  most  wayward 
transgressor,  is  there  not  always  at  least  a  glimmer  of  hope 
that  as  long  as  he  walks  linked  to  the  chain  of  divine  justice, 
that  chain  will  one  day  draw  him  back  to  the  Great  Being  from 
whom  by  his  sin  he  would  fain  make  his  escape  ? 

There  is,  however,  no  longer  any  fear  of  God  left  in  this 
generation.  The  perpetual  preaching  about  the  love  of  the 
universal  Father  has  preached  it  quite  away.  No  doubt,  fear 
is  not  the  e?jd  of  wisdom,  but  the  Bible  tells  us  that  it  is  the 
'■^beginning  of  it."^  And  as  there  is  fear  in  reverence,  it  may 
in  this  sense  be  said  even  of  the  child  of  God  who  has  found 
grace,  that  he  continues  to  fear  to  the  last,  as  the  apostle 
writes  :  "  If  ye  call  on  the  Father,  who  without  respect  of  per- 
sons judgeth  according  to  every  man's  work,  pass  the  time  of 
your  sojourning  here  in  fear."^  I  clearly  perceive  that  were 
the  fear  of  God  to  regain  its  due  place — were  but  that  shadow 
of  a  king  whom  they  have  set  upon  the  throne  of  the  world, 
and  from  whose  feeble  hand  every  child  can  wrest  the  sceptre 
with  impunity,  to  resign  his  seat  to  the  King  of  whom  it  is 
written,  "God  judgeth  the  righteous,  and  is  angry  with  the 
wicked  every  day,"  ^  then  should  we  again  find  among  us  peni- 
tent hearts  and  awakened  consciences  inquiring  after  the  way 
of  life.  I  have  observed  that  wherever  in  the  Catholic  Church 
faithful  pastors  have  preached  the  way  of  life,  spiritual  hunger 
and  thirst  have  always  been  excited  to  a  greater  extent  than  in 
ours.  From  what  other  cause  does  this  arise,  than  because  our 
people  have  been  surfeited  with  the  continual  preaching  of  the 
Gospel  without  repentance ;  whereas  among  them  the  preach- 
ing of  repentance  and  of  the  law  abounds,  while  there  is  a 
dearth  of  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel  ? 

Yes,  verily,  O  holy  God,  thou  art  as  long-suffering  as  holy. 
In  a  world  which  doubts  whether  justice  is  the  pillar  of  Thy 
1  Psalm  cxi.  lo;  Prov.  i.  7.  ^  x  Pet.  i.  17.  ^  Psalm  vii.  11. 


24-    The  Goodness  of  God  leadeth  to  Repentance.       135 

throne,  and  where  on  every  hand  Thy  grace  is  turned  to  licen- 
tiousness, how  great  the  forbearance  with  which  Thou  dost 
punish,  and  how  long  Thou  dost  wait  for  the  repentance  of  the 
sinner  !  But  Thy  jealousy  will  at  last  be  roused,  and  after  Thy 
mercies  have  been  all  despised,  will  discharge  itself  without  re- 
serve. Stir  up,  O  holy  God,  in  my  own  heart  a  true  and  lively 
fear  of  the  rod  of  Thy  justice.  I  know  that  when  Thou  threat- 
enest  I  can  shelter  myself  beneath  the  skirt  of  Thy  robe ;  but 
I  also  know  that  should  that  betray  me  into  security,  the  very 
shadow  of  Thy  hand  above  my  head  will  turn  into  a  stormy 
cloud ;  and  therefore,  so  long  as  I  sojourn  here  below,  I  will 
pass  the  time  in  fear,  and  in  humbly  looking  up  to  Thee.  I 
know  that  wert  Thou  to  deal  with  me  according  to  the  rule  of 
justice  alone,  Thou  hast  a  perfect  right  to  condemn  me,  and 
that  I  owe  my  salvation  to  grace  alone. 


24. 

Cfje  tootdtESS  of  (!&0ti  Uatietfj  to  Eepentance. 

God  will  His  rights  assert  one  day  ; 
And  if  in  time  He  make  delay 
He  has  a  reason  good,  which  is, 
That  all  eternity  is  His. 

Matt.  xiii.  27-30.  "So  the  servants  of  the  householder 
came  and  said  unto  him.  Sir,  didst  not  thou  sow  good 
seed  in  thy  field?  from  whence  then  hath  it  tares?  He 
said  unto  them,  An  enemy  hath  done  this.  The  servants 
said  unto  him.  Wilt  thou  then  that  we  go  and  gather  them 
up  ?  But  he  said,  Nay;  lest,  while  ye  gather  up  the  tares, 
ye  root  up  also  the  wheat  with  them.  Let  both  grow  to- 
gether until  the  harvest." 


136       24-    TJie  Goodness  of  God  Icadeth  to  Repentance. 

Rom.  ii.  4,  5.  "  Despisest  thou  the  riches  of  His  goodness 
and  forbearance  and  long-suffering ;  not  knowing  that  the 
goodness  of  God  leadeth  thee  to  repentance  ?  But  after 
thy  hardness  and  impenitent  heart  treasurest  up  unto  thy- 
self wrath  against  the  day  of  wrath  and  revelation  of  the 
righteous  judgment  of  God." 

THEY  seem  to  me  a  peculiar  class  of  men  who  afhrm  that 
they  find  no  difficulty  in  firmly  and  steadfastly  believing 
that  there  is  a  holy  God,  and  that  He  governs  this  ungodly 
world,  with  all  the  other  doctrines  declared  to  us  in  sacred 
Scripture ;  and  that  their  faith  never  begins  to  waver  or  fail 
until  they  come  to  the  article  of  Christ  the  Son  of  God  dying 
for  our  sins  and  rising  again  for  our  justification.  Verily,  when 
a  man  runs  his  head  against  that  article,  it  is  quite  certain  that 
a  great  breach  must  long  before  have  been  made  in  his  faith — 
viz.,  at  the  articles  designated  by  Scripture  as  the  principles  of 
the  doctrine  of  Christ :  such  as  repentance,  faith  toward  God, 
and  God's  temporal  and  eternal  judgment  against  sin.^  To 
myself,  at  least,  no  task  ever  appeared  so  hard  as,  in  a  world 
like  that  before  our  eyes,  to  believe  with  a  firm  and  unwaver- 
ing heart  that  it  is  governed  by  a  God  of  love  ajid  justice.  When 
I  set  in  array  before  my  mind  all  the  shocking  things  of  which 
human  life  is  full — the  rapacious  tooth  of  the  tiger,  the  serpent's 
poisonous  bite,  sea-storms,  and  earthquakes,  famine  and  pes- 
tilence, madness,  v/ith  the  whole  train  of  diseases  and  bitter 
death — I  cannot  help  wondering  that  King  Alphonso  of  Ara- 
gon  should  have  been  the  only  fool  who  proposed  to  Divine 
Wisdom  to  manufacture  a  far  better  world  than  the  worm-eaten 
fabric  we  now  behold.  And  if  I  further  picture  to  myself  all 
the  scandals  in  the  moral  world,  the  fierce  and  poisonous  tooth 
with  which  man  attacks  his  fellow,  the  storms  and  earthquakes 
of  passion  and  folly,  and  the  fearful  infection  with  which  each 
communicates  to  his  neighbour  the  poison  of  sin,  and  thereby 
destroys  him, — ah  me !  whoever  in  these  circumstances  can 
1  Heb.  vi.  I,  2. 


24-    TJie  Goodness  of  God  leadetJi  to  Repentance.        137 

freely  and  firmly  believe  in  the  government  of  the  world  by  a 
God  of  righteousness,  that  man  1  look  upon  as  a  saint  of  the 
first  degree ;  and  humbly  will  I  go  into  his  school,  that  I  may 
learn  of  him  what  faith  is. 

When  the  heart  is  thus  softened  at  the  thought  of  the  wicked- 
ness of  the  world,  how  comfortable  and  edifying  the  doctrine 
which  our  blessed  Lord  teaches  in  the  parable  of  the  tares  and 
the  wheat!  You  ask,  "Why  do  the  tares  grow  so  rank?" 
"  Friend,"  replies  Christ,  "it  is  because  the  time  of  the  harvest  is 
not  yet  comer  Observe,  the  servants  of  the  householder  also 
would  fain  have  forcibly  extirpated  them  ;  but  what  did  he  call 
out  ?  "  Be  not  so  rash  ;  let  both  grow  together  until  the  time 
of  harvest."  It  must  be  remembered  that  the  tares  spoken  of 
in  this  passage  are,  according  to  the  original  Greek,  the  mock- 
wheat  which,  while  still  unripe,  resembles  the  good  as  much  as 
any  one  thing  can  resemble  another,  and  indeed  cannot  be  dis- 
tinguished from  it  until  it  reaches  maturity.  Even  so  upon  the 
theatre  of  the  world,  where  God  is  merely  rearing  children  for 
Himself,  it  cannot  be  discovered  who  are  the  good  wheat  and 
who  are  the  tares  until  both  are  ripe.  If  the  Lord  had  com- 
manded fire  to  come  down  from  heaven  upon  Samaria,  as  His 
disciples  wished,  how  could  Samaria  have  received  the  word 
of  God  ?  1  Had  Nineveh  been  overthrown,  according  to 
Jonah's  desire,  how  could  it  have  been  converted?  If  a  Saul, 
when  breathing  out  threatenings  and  slaughter  against  the 
Church  of  God,  had  been  instantly  cut  down,  how  could  a 
Paul  have  become  a  preacher  of  righteousness?  For  this 
reason,  dear  reader,  let  us  cautiously  guard  against  being  over- 
rash,  and  learn  from  the  Saviour's  beautiful  parable  to  be  prn- 
dent  in  our  judgments,  indulge7it  in  our  behaviour,  and  con- 
fident in  our  anticipation  of  a  harvest-time  at  last.  You  may 
imagine  that  the  householder  is  still  asleep.  Nothing,  how- 
ever, escapes  his  notice.  And  when  the  time  of  harvest 
comes,  he  will  arise  like  a  strong  man  in  the  midst  of  a  secure 
world,  and  will  then  as  surely  carry  into  efi'ect  the  separation 
1  Luke,  ix.  54;  Acts,  viii.  14. 


138       24-   TJie  Goodness  of  God  IcadetJi  to  Repentance. 

of  the  goats  from  the  sheep,  and  of  the  tares  from  the  wheat, 
as  for  the  present  he  mercifully  postpones  it.  At  last  does  not 
mean  never. 

In  truth,  were  there  to  be  no  other  judgment  than  that  which 
takes  place  in  time,  we  could  hardly  blame  a  man  for  doubting 
if  the  sceptre  that  governs  the  world  is  really  in  the  hand  of 
Justice.  Here  and  there,  it  is  true,  Justice  has  written  her 
name  upon  the  page  of  history,  in  characters  so  large  that,  as 
the  prophet  says,  "he  that  runneth  may  read."  Yes,  read  it 
the  simplest  can,  the  unbeliever  must.  And  not  less  true  is  it 
that  the  Gentile  nations  in  all  ages  have  believed  in  a  retribu- 
tive power  which,  according  to  Mary's  song,  "hath  showed 
strength  with  His  arm,  and  scattered  the  proud  in  the  imagina- 
tion of  their  hearts  ;  and  put  down  the  mighty  from  their  seats, 
and  exalted  them  of  low  degree."  ^  It  must,  however,  be  ad- 
mitted, that  the  times  in  which  this  has  been  seen  are  but  as  a 
few  transparent  spots  in  the  dark  stream  of  the  history  of  man- 
kind ;  and  that  the  lesson  taught  by  such  particular  instances 
can  never  possibly  hold  its  own  against  that  which,  as  appears 
to  the  carnal  eye,  one  day  uttereth  unto  another — viz.,  that  the 
righteous  is  trodden  under  foot,  and  the  ungodly  stands  upon 
his  dust.  This  is  what  Asaph  of  old  deplored  when  he  said  : 
"  As  for  me,  my  feet  were  almost  gone ;  my  steps  had  well- 
nigh  slipped.  For  I  was  envious  at  the  foolish,  when  I  saw 
the  prosperity  of  the  wicked.  .  .  .  When  I  thought  to  know 
this,  it  was  too  painfid  for  me ;  until  I  went  into  the  sanctuary 
of  God ;  then  understood  I  their  end."  ^  Yes,  we  must  mark 
the  end;  truth  conquers  at  last. 

So  very  great  is  the  long-suffering  of  God,  that  one  might 
almost  fancy  He  paid  slight  regard  to  what  the  devil  and  the 
world  are  doing  against  Him.  If,  however,  you  suppose  that, 
because  His  goodness  delays  the  punishment  and  waits  for  the 
repentance  of  the  sinner,  His  justice  will  be  defrauded  of  its 
dues.  Beware !  For  though  He  may  delay  for  a  season.  He 
has  yet  spread  so  many  nets  and  snares,  that  there  is  no  pos- 

1  Luke,  i.  51,  52.  2  Psalm  Ixxiii.  2,  3,  16,  17. 


24-   The  Goodness  of  God  leadeth  to  Repentance.       139 

sibility  of  escape  from  His  hands.  "  These  things  hast  thou 
done,  and  I  kept  silence  j  thou  thoughtest  that  I  was  altogether 
such  an  one  as  thyself:  but  I  will  reprove  thee,  and  set  them 
in  order  before  thine  eyes."  ^  So  speaks  the  Lord :  and  again, 
"  Thinkest  thou  I  will  hold  my  peace  for  ever,  that  thou  fearest 
me  not  ?"  ^  Hear,  too,  the  words  of  David  :  "  In  my  prosper- 
ity I  said,  I  shall  never  be  moved;"  but  then  he  subjoins, 
*'  Thou  didst  hide  Thy  face,  and  I  was  troubled."  ^  As  Luther 
expresses  it,  the  Lord  our  God  often  treads  so  softly  among 
the  wicked  and  perverse  race  of  men  that  none  can  hear  the 
sound  of  His  steps ;  but  this  He  does  only  for  a  time,  for  at 
length  all  His  thunders  come  down  in  a  heap.  To  hard  hearts 
He  will  remit  nothing. 

God  walks  unseen  among  the  sons  of  men — 

"  And  silent  is  His  step,  but  near  the  goal 
He  rushes  with  the  thunder  of  decision."  ^ 

When  it  is  said  of  Him  whose  throne  is  in  the  heavens,  that 
He  laughs  at  those  who  rage  and  plot  against  Him,  His  laugh 
lasts  only  for  a  while.  Soon  there  follows,  "Then  shall  He 
speak  unto  them  in  His  wrath,  and  vex  them  in  His  sore  dis- 
pleasure." ^  For  a  great  instance  of  this,  even  in  the  present 
world,  attend  diligently  to  what  Christ  in  the  Gospel  ^  says  of 
unbelieving  Jerusalem,  which  God  for  a  long  time  visited  with 
His  grace,  but  from  which  at  last  He  did  not  withhold  the 
rod. 

His  justice  is  not  defrauded  of  its  rights,  although  in  His 
forbearance  He  delays  to  punish ;  for  as  the  apostle  here  says, 
"  His  goodness  is  but  an  exhortation  to  repentancey  How 
sweet,  but  at  the  same  time  how  terrible,  a  truth  it  is,  that  the 
morsel  of  bread  which  an  ungodly  man  puts  into  his  mouth, 
the  sunbeam  which  warms  his  face,  and  the  rain  which  drops 
from  heaven  to  fertiHse  his  field,  are  all  calls  to  repentance, 
and  all  come  from  the  God  who  maketh  the  sun  to  rise  upon 

1  Psalm  1.  21.  2  jsa.  Ivii.  ii — Luther's  vers.  ^  Psalm  xxx.  6,  7. 

^  Klopstock.  ^  Psalm  ii.  4,  5,  6  Luke,  xix.  41. 


140       24-   The  Goodness  of  God  Icadeth  to  Repentance. 

the  evil  and  the  good  !  Observe  well  when  He  thus  visits 
thee,  and  thou  wilt  see,  that  while  He  has  only  blessings  in 
His  hand,  He  has  at  the  same  time  a  rod  beneath  His  robe  ; 
and  if  His  blessings  do  not  soften  thy  heart.  He  will  immediately 
smite  thee  with  His  rod — for  none  knows  better  when  to  use 
the  staff  of  beauty,  and  when  the  staff  of  bands.  ^ 

It  is  further  written,  "After  thy  impenitent  heart  thou 
treasurest  up  unto  thyself  wrath  against  the  day  of  wrath." 
Woe's  me  !  what  an  alarming  word  is  this  !  Every  grace  which 
I  despise,  turns,  it  appears,  into  a  judgment.  "  The  witling," 
says  Luther,  "  stands  in  the  street  and  gapes  with  astonishment 
that  it  is  not  the  good,  although  they  are  a  privileged  class, 
but  the  wicked,  who  are  allowed  by  the  long-suffering  of  God 
to  grow  up  like  trees  planted  by  the  rivers  of  water."  ^  But 
lo  !  all  the  while.  His  righteous  judgments,  like  the  grains  of 
sand  in  the  hour-glass,  are  silently  but  ceaselessly  running 
their  course.  Not  a  blessing  received  with  impenitence  but 
changes  into  anger.  The  more  they  are  in  number,  so  many 
more  are  the  vials  of  wrath  treasured  up  against  the  day  of 
judgment,  and  which  shall  then  infallibly  be  discharged. 
Behold,  the  jovial  drunkard  sits  and  drains  with  relish  glass 
after  glass,  but  all  the  while  does  not  mark  the  hand  which  is 
writing  out  the  reckoning — that  reckoning  which  shall  one  day 
be  presented  to  him,  and  which  his  whole  substance  will  be 
insufficient  to  pay. 

Such,  O  gracious  God,  have  often  been  my  reflections  when 
I  beheld  Thee  crowning  the  head  of  the  ungodly  with  fulness 
of  joy  and  blessing.  These  sparkling  brilliants,  methought, 
may  they  not  perhaps  be  coals  of  fire  ?  But  have  I  likewise 
attended  to  my  own  case  ?  Who  knows  but  that  others  may 
see  many  a  bright  gem  glittering  upon  my  head,  for  which  I 
have  never  repaid  Thee  with  thanks  ?  Woe's  me  !  if  these  too 
shall  one  day  turn  into  burning  coals  !  Oh  how  rich  the  good- 
ness with  which  Thou  daily  leadest  me  to  repentance  !  And 
oh  how  wicked  and  unfaithful  my  heart,  which  needs  so  many 
1  Zech.  xi.  7.  2  Psalm  i.  3. 


2  5 .   The  disposing  of  the  L  ot  is  of  the  Lord.      141 

to  preach  repentance  to  it  from  the  pulpit,  although,  were  the 
Holy  Spirit  to  take  away  the  blindness  from  my  eyes,  eveiy 
mouthful  of  bread,  every  gentle  shower,  and  every  warm  sun- 
beam, would  discourse  to  me  upon  the  same  theme  !  Behold, 
O  my  God,  I  approach  Thy  throne  as  a  child  humbled  and 
abashed,  and  my  prayer  to  Thee  is  that  Thou  wouldst  still 
delay  to  punish  me,  for  I  will  yield  to  Thy  goodness  which 
leadeth  me  to  repentance. 

O  God,  whose  eye  my  inmost  bosom  sounds, 

My  debt  of  gratitude  I  long  to  pay  ; 

Let  then  its  fiery  glance  purge  clean  away 
The  selfish  dross  that  in  my  heart  abounds. 

It  is  a  thought  which  well  may  fear  inspire 
Even  in  the  holy  mind,  that  every  grace 
Which  cheers  the  sinner,  when  he  disobeys 

Turns  on  his  guilty  head  to  angry  fire. 

Awhile  he  triumphs,  when,  unmarked  or  spurned, 
Mercy  with  blessings  makes  his  cup  o'erflow  ; 
But  even  amidst  his  exaltation,  lo  ! 

The  gifts  of  God  have  mio  judgments  turned. 


25. 

EJe  t(i0p0smg  of  tfte  3Lot  is  of  tfje  HorU. 

What  can  it  be  but  chance  f  /  hear  thee  say, 
And  that  to  loose  the  k?ioi's  an  easy  way  ; 
But  keep  thy  mmd  from  chance-bred  fancies  clear. 
And  from  the  world  all  chance  will  disappear. 

Prov.  xvi.  33.    "  The  lot  is  cast  into  the  lap  \  but  the  whole 

disposing  thereof  is  of  the  Lord." 
Luke,  x.  31.     "And  by  chance  there  came  down  a  certain 

priest  that  way:  and  when  he  saw  him,  he  passed  by  on 

the  other  side." 


142      2  5-    TJie  disposing  of  the  Lot  is  of  the  Lo7'd. 

BY  chance!  So  then  even  the  Holy  Scriptures  speak  of 
chance.  There  are  persons  who  feel  a  scruple  to  do 
so.  There  can,  however,  be  no  sin  in  the  word,  seeing  it  has 
been  used  by  the  Saviour  Himself.  But  what  is  chance  ?  It 
certainly  is  not  a  deity,  a  fate  coequal  with,  or  even  superior 
to,  the  Almighty  Father  of  heaven  and  earth.  No ;  it  is  nothing 
but  a  vocable  which  we  employ  when  there  is  a  gap  in  our 
wisdom,  and  our  insight  into  the  connection  of  cause  and 
effect  is  at  fault.  It  is  more  a  name  for  something  in  ourselves 
than  for  anything  in  nature  without.  We  designate  as  chance, 
effects  which  do  not  appear  to  have  proceeded  from  purpose 
and  design.  Thus  we  call  it  chance  when  any  event  occurs 
which  was  not  intended  by  man ;  just  as  the  Lord  here  says, 
"  By  chance  there  came  down  a  certain  priest  that  way."  And 
in  that  case  the  word  has  an  objectionable  meaning.  We  also 
speak  of  chance,  however,  when  a  thing  happens  which  seems 
to  us  contrary  to  the  plan  and  intention  of  God,  and  then  the 
word  is  a  mere  word.  We  speak  of  necessity  when  the  weary 
veteran,  after  the  eyes — the  windows  of  sense — have  been 
closed,  and  the  door  of  the  mouth  seldom  opens,  and  the  grey 
head  has  long  worn  the  livery  of  death,  dies  by  the  decay  of 
nature.  For  we  perceive  that  there  is  a  plan  and  design  in  the 
mowing  down  of  the  grain  when  it  has  reached  maturity,  and 
in  the  discharge  of  the  labourer  from  the  field  when  his  blunted 
tools  are  of  no  further  use.  When,  however,  the  youth  is  un- 
expectedly snatched  away,  by  such  a  casualty  as  the  fall,  per- 
haps, of  a  tile  from  the  roof ;  when  the  goodly  framework  is 
shattered  before  the  spirit  it  contained  has  unfolded  its  wings, 
— we  then  speak  of  chance,  because  we  do  not  here  see  the 
divine  purpose. 

Agar,  the  son  of  Jakeh,  affirms  of  himself  that  he  was  the 
most  fooUsh  of  the  sons  of  men.  ^  I  think,  however,  I  could 
mention  several  of  the  sons  of  men  in  whose  favour  he  would 
be  forced  to  resign  his  vain  boast.  Among  others,  I  allude  to 
those  wiseacres  who  opine  that  the  limit  of  all  thought  and 

1  Prov.  XXX.  I,  2. 


25 .    TJie  disposing  of  the  Lot  is  of  the  Lord.       143 

knowledge  is  where  their  thoughts  begin  to  run  dry.  But  very- 
poor  indeed  would  we,  the  children  of  men,  be,  if  what  we 
cannot  see  did  not,  for  that  reason,  exist.  No  :  in  a  world 
of  which  it  has  been  said,  "  Thou  hast  ordered  all  things  in 
pieasicre,  mtniber,  and  weight,'^  ^  there  is  no  r 00771  for  cha7ice. 
Strange  may  be  the  way  in  which  the  lot  is  cast  into  our  lap ; 
but  whether  it  be  cast  by  visible  or  invisible  hands,  whether 
suddenly  or  so  slowly  that  we  can  see  it  come,  whether  at  the 
side  or  from  above  or  from  below,  whether  plentifully  or  spar- 
ingly— it  is  always  cast  exactly  as  the  Lord  wills.  So  long  as 
we  are  at  school  and  belong  to  a  class,  where,  in  the  noble 
science  of  arithmetic  as  in  all  other  things,  we  can  never 
advance  beyond  piecework,  chance  must  always  appear  to  us 
to  play  a  large  part  in  God's  Vv^orld ;  and  when  we  are  told  that 
all  things  in  it  are  ordered  by  measure,  number,  and  weight,  we 
may  believe  that  it  is  so,  but  we  are  quite  unable  to  work  the 
calcidatio7i.  Now  there  are,  first  of  all,  men  of  foolish  minds, 
who  have  their  hands  so  full  of  work  that  they  can  find  no 
leisure  to  coimt  or  77ieasure,  and  so  they  cannot  but  run  foul  of 
chance  in  every  street  of  this  great  city  of  God. 

A  fool  believes  not  this,  but  says 
That  everything  by  chance  takes  place  ; 
As  all  his  life  he  never  knows 
A  reason  for  one  thing  he  does. 

And,  moreover,  as  there  are  also  men  of  vai7i  minds  who 
actually  imagine  that  they  have  reached  the  extreme  limit  of 
all  wit  when  they  have  got  to  the  end  of  their  ow7i,  it  is  no 
wonder  that  such  ivitli7igs  are  every  moment  knocking  their 
foot  against  chance,  for  they  are  better  pleased  that  the  wisdom 
which  made  the  world  should  be  considered  defective,  than 
that  such  a  charge  should  be  brought  against  theirs.  Whoever 
is  big  with  vanity  will  bring  forth  lies.  But  methinks  it  ought 
to  delight  the  hearts  of  persons  so  very  wise  to  be  told  that 
their  knowledge  is  still  imperfect ;  for  does  not  that  afford  a 
ground  of  hope  that  when  that  which  is  perfect  is  come,  there 
1  Wisdom  of  Solomon,  xi.  20. 


144      25-    TJie  disposing  of  the  Lot  is  of  the  Lord. 

will  be  much  that  is  new  and  beautiful  for  them  to  learn  ? 
How  strange  that  it  should  be  so  hard  to  convince  them  that 
the  last  day  will  show  measure  and  number  and  weight  in  much 
that  appears  mere  casualty  and  peradventure,  seeing  that  even 
here  on  earth  time  makes  so  many  discoveries  of  the  sort !  To 
give  an  instance  :  It  happened  that  two  persons  were  once 
travelling  along  a  highway,  one  of  whom  was  a  devotee  of 
chance,  and  a  powerful  advocate  of  her  cause.  The  other, 
who  was  a  believer  in  the  wisdom  which  "has  ordered  aU 
things  in  measure,  number,  and  weight,"  took  occasion,  as  if 
unintentionally,  to  call  the  attention  of  his  philosophic  com- 
panion to  the  fact  that  the  trees  upon  the  right  side  of  the 
road  were  much  larger  and  stronger  than  those  upon  the  left, 
and  spoke  of  it  as  a  manifest  freak  of  chance.  The  philosopher 
at  once  assented,  when,  behold,  it  was  observed  that  the  road 
declined  on  the  left,  and  so  the  trees  there  got  less  of  the  sun 
than  those  upon  the  right.  How  much  less  of  chance  would 
there  be  in  the  world  if  man  had  only  fewer  casual  and  narrow 
thoughts ! 

Waste  not  thy  pains  to  reach  the  ground  ; 
When  the  snow  melts  it  will  be  found. 

Even  contingencies  cannot  be  taken  out  of  the  hand  of  God 
and  put  into  that  of  another,  for  we  see  how  often  the  wisest 
plans  miscarry ;  while  a  particle  of  dust  falling  from  a  wall,  or 
a  cloud  passing  before  the  sun,  decides  events  of  the  greatest 
moment.  It  happened  by  chance  that  the  priest,  the  Levite, 
and  the  Samaritan  came  down  that  way ;  but  if  the  Sa??iaritan 
had  not  passed  by,  a  human  life  would  have  been  lost.  When 
Napoleon  was  returning  from  Egypt  to  France,  Nelson  was  on 
the  watch  for  him,  and  even  lay  for  a  while  with  his  whole  fleet 
close  to  the  two  ships  of  the  fugitive.  A  thick  fog,  however, 
settled  down  between  them  ;  and  had  it  not  been  for  that  fog, 
the  state  of  the  world  would  have  been  different  from  what 
it  now  is.  In  solemn  grandeur  the  ancient  avalanches  lie 
couched  on  the  icy  mountain-tops,  and  repose  from  year  to 
year,  until,  perhaps,  the  wing  of  a  bird,  as  it  flies  quickly  past, 


25.    The  disposing  of  the  Lot  is  of  the  Lord.       145 

touches  them,  and  by  their  fall  some  thousands  of  human 
beings  lose  their  lives.  It  is  true  that  little  touches  do  not 
make  great  revolutions,  and  that  as  little  do  trivial  incidents 
hinder  them.  It  is  true  that  the  avalanche  must  have  been 
accumulating  for  many  a  year  if  it  was  to  destroy  the  city; 
and  that  Napoleon  must  have  been  the  man  he  was  if  the  fog 
was  to  change  the  condition  of  the  world.  Still  the  touch  of 
the  bird's  wing  and  the  curtain  of  fog  were  likewise  necessary 
to  bring  about  the  issue. 

The  men  who  decide  the  fate  of  the  world  are  the  readiest 
to  acknowledge  that  what  they  call  destiny  or  chance  gives  the 
turn  to  the  scales.  Napoleon  often  said  of  himself  that  no  man 
could  believe  more  firmly  in  Providence  than  he.  But  if  it  had 
been  in  Providence  that  he  believed,  he  would  have  fallen 
upon  his  knees  and  presented  to  it  the  humble  oblation  of  his 
gratitude.  What  he  really  believed  in  was  destiny  ;  and,  there- 
fore, to  that  bhnd  power  he  offered  himself  as  its  favourite. 
Those  men,  however,  who  have  weighty  matters  committed  to 
their  hands,  and  who  are  acquainted  wdth  the  King  of  kings, 
all  readily  make  the  confession  that,  "  Except  the  Lord  build 
the  house,  they  labour  in  vain  who  build  it :  except  the  Lord 
keeps  the  city,  the  watchman  waketh  but  in  vain.  It  is  vain 
for  you  to  rise  up  early,  to  sit  up  late,  to  eat  the  bread  of 
sorrows,  for  He  giveth  it  to  His  beloved,  while  asleep."  ^ 

If  all  things  in  the  world  are  ordered  in  measure  and 
number,  no  single  one  can  be  excepted  ;  otherwise  the  whole 
will  fall  to  pieces,  or  at  least  lose  its  harmony,  just  as  happens 
in  a  well  -  constructed  building.  For  this  reason  it  is  that 
sacred  Scripture  so  often  sets  forth  that  adversity  as  well  as 
prosperity,  evil  as  well  as  good,  are  under  the  divine  control. 
"  I  form  the  light,  and  create  darkness  :  I  make  peace,  and 
create  evil :  I  the  Lord  do  all  these  things."  ^  "  Shall  there  be 
evil  in  a  city,"  exclaims  another  prophet,  "  and  the  Lord  hath 
not  done  it?"^  In  like  manner,  in  the  New  Testament,  our 
Lord  and  His  apostles,  speaking  of  the  blackest  of  crimes,, 

1  Psalm  cxxvii.  i,  2 — Luther's  vers.  ^  Isa.  xlv.  7.  3  Amos,  iii.  6. 

K 


146      25.    The  disposing  of  the  L  ot  is  of  the  L  ord. 

declare  that  all  is  done  according  to  the  council  of  God.  For 
thus  it  is  written  :  "  Of  a  truth  against  Thy  holy  child  Jesus, 
whom  Thou  hast  anointed,  both  Herod  and  Pontius  Pilate, 
with  the  Gentiles  and  the  people  of  Israel,  were  gathered 
together,  for  to  do  whatsoever  Thy  hand  and  Thy  conned 
determined  before  to  be  done."  ^  The  predictions  of  the  Old 
Testament  prophets,  and  those  of  our  Lord  in  the  New,  are  a 
clear  testimony  that  all  things,  the  small  and  the  great  alike, 
are  under  the  divine  inspection.  How  shortsighted  is  man  ! 
Because  he  himself  is  unable  to  grasp  the  little  with  the  great, 
he  fancies  that  the  same  must  be  the  case  with  the  everlasting 
God.  But  would  the  Eternal  be  so  great  as  He  is,  if  by  reason 
of  His  greatness  He  necessarily  lost  sight  of  the  little  ?  Could 
the  world  justly  be  called  a  masterpiece  of  ai-t  if  the  same  artist 
whose  hand  is  visible  in  the  vast  did  not  also  show  itself  in  the 
minute.  J  never  see  one  of  those  ancient  cathedrals — where 
even  the  lowest  edge  of  the  groundsel  is  elaborated  in  the 
same  spirit  and  with  the  same  affectionate  pains  as  the  tower 
which  shoots  aloft  into  the  heavens — without  perceiving  in  it 
a  likeness  to  the  work  of  the  great  Architect  of  the  world. 
Here,  too,  it  may  be  said — 

If  imaged  in  the  smallest  part  it  be, 

You  then  the  beauty  of  the  whole  will  see. 

No ;  He  must  be  great  in  what  is  little  as  well  as  in  what  is 
large. 

The  daisy  on  the  mountain  sod. 

Withdrawn  from  human  view, 
Was  planted  by  the  hand  of  God, 

The  hand  that  fashioned  you. 

That  flower  His  care  protects  whose  call 

Did  countless  worlds  create  ; 
By  condescending  to  the  small. 

He  proves  that  he  is  great. 

I  will  not,  then,  try  to  measure  the  Eternal  by  the  standard  of 
my  own  little  eye;  and  although,  amidst  the  conflict  of  the  forces 
and  beings  in  the  world,  my  ear  has  not  as  yet  been  opened  to 
lActs,  iv.  27,  28. 


2  5 .    The  disposing  of  the  L  ot  is  of  the  L  ord.       1 47 

catch  that  harmony  in  which  they  all  join,  I  yet  will  not  dispute 
that  it  exists.  I  figure  to  myself  a  deaf  man  suddenly,  and  for 
the  first  time,  brought  within  sight  of  a  great  orchestra,  and 
observing  the  busy  movements  of  the  hands  and  feet,  and  the 
sweat  upon  the  faces  of  the  musicians,  and  all  for  nothing,  and 
I  reflect  how  absurd  it  would  appear  to  him.  We  men  occupy 
the  same  position  with  respect  to  the  universe.  Oh,  when  I 
shall  one  day  know  Him  even  as  I  am  known,  and  perceive 
through  the  vast  creation  the  measure,  number,  and  weight 
according  to  which  all  things  are  ordered,  and  how  the  least  of 
them  is  connected  and  in  concord  with  the  greatest,  what  a 
blessed  harmony  it  will  be,  and  how  it  will  regale  my  soul 
through  all  eternity ! 

Eternal  God,  in  their  majestic  courses 

Circle  Thy  suns  through  yon  far  realms  of  blue  ; 

Myriads  of  stars,  called  from  their  unseen  sources. 
Thou  scatterest  o'er  ether's  plains  like  dew. 

Yes,  Thou  art  very  great,  and  lowly  I 

Bend  in  the  dust  to  think  how  great  Thou  art ; 

Yet,  Lord,  'tis  not  Thy  glorious  majesty 

That  calms  the  throbbing  of  my  anxious  heart. 

But  that — while  all  the  morning  stars  adore  Thee, 

And  the  angelic  host  Thy  praises  hymn — 
While  in  their  burning  ranks  arrayed  before  Thee, 

Cast  at  Thy  feet  their  crowns  the  Seraphim,— 

Thou  to  the  insects'  song  aloft  ascending, 

Thou  to  the  prayer  which  humble  hearts  express, 

A  father's  kind  and  pitying  ear  art  lending — 
This  to  my  soul  gives  all  its  happiness. 


II. 


26.   The  Lord  is  my  SJiepJierd.  15 


26. 

W^t  iLorti  is  mg  ^6^p6^rti. 

Myself  I  coicld  not  guide. 

Helpless  and  blind  ; 
And  so  to  wiser  ha?ids 

The  charge  resigned.       • 

Psalm  xxiii.   i.      "  The  Lord  is  my  shepherd ;    I  shall  not 
want." 

THESE  words  were  uttered  by  David  in  the  days  of  his 
youth,  when  he  still  kept  the  flock  of  his  father  Jesse, 
led  them  by  the  still  waters  and  green  pastures,  and  protected 
them  with  his  staff.  He  then  came  to  understand  that  what  he 
was  to  his  flock,  that  to  him  was  his  faithful  God.  How  great 
a  grace  it  is  for  a  man  no  longer  to  stand  alone  in  the  world, 
but  to  know  in  whom  he  believes  !  For  long  I  seemed  to 
myself  to  be  like  a  lost  sheep,  and  knew  not  who  should  be 
my  guide.  Now,  however,  with  the  deepest  consciousness  of 
having  found  rest,  I  can  say,  "  The  Lord  is  my  Shepherd^'  and 
what  then  is  there  that  can  do  me  harm  ?  I  have  reached 
the  haven,  and  no  storm  shall  ever  again  drive  my  little  bark 
into  the  open  sea.  Nay,  even  looking  forward  through  all 
futurity,  I  take  up  the  words  of  David  and  affirm,  ^^  L  shall  not 
want!'  Oh,  at  how  high  a  price  would  unbelievers  be  glad  to 
purchase  a  confidence  like  this  !  Yes ;  could  they  but  figure 
to  themselves  the  deep  inward  calm  of  the  soul  which  has  found 
its  rest  in  God,  they  would  all  become  Christians  ! 

Verse  2.     "  He  maketh  me  to  lie  down  in  green  pastures  : 
He  leadeth  me  beside  the  still  waters." 


152  26.   The  Lord  is  my  Shepherd. 

I  travelled  along  a  broad  highway,  and  so  great  was  the  dust 
and  turmoil  that  my  soul  grew  weary.  Many  a  time  did  I  look 
to  the  right  hand  and  the  left  for  some  turn  of  the  road,  but  I 
was  hurried  onward  by  the  tumultuous  crowd  and  could  scarcely 
retain  my  self-possession.  At  length  the  heavenly  Friend 
sought  me  amidst  the  crowd,  led  me  out  by  secret  ways  from 
the  throng,  and  brought  me  to  a  lone  and  verdant  meadow, 
and  to  the  banks  of  still  waters.  And  oh  it  is  good  to  be  there ! 
I  have  learned  what  is  the  blessedness  of  the  soul  when  it  rests 
in  God,  and  thereby  becomes  calm.  "  Study  to  be  quiet,"  ^ 
saith  the  apostle  ;  and  the  prophet  afhrms  that  "  in  quietness 
and  confidence  shall  be  your  strength."  ^  Yes ;  there  is  strength 
in  this  quietness  in  God, — this  composure  in  which  all  the  vital 
spirits  are  gathered  in, — a  strength  of  which  he  who  hurries 
along  the  broad  and  dusty  highway  can  form  no  conception. 
The  pastures  on  which  the  soul  is  here  regaled  are  ever  green. 
The  holy  truths  seem  every  day  fresh  to  the  mind,  continually 
present  new  aspects,  and  always,  in  a  variety  of  ways,  become 
a  food  and  a  staff,  a  balm  and  a  buckler  in  life.  They  retain 
perpetually  their  youth  and  verdure. 

Verse  3.     "  He  restoreth  my  soul :  He  leadeth  me  in  the 
paths  of  righteousness  for  His  name's  sake." 

And  wherefore  does  He  exercise  towards  me  a  love  and  grace 
so  great  and  manifold  ?  It  is  not  for  7ny  ow?i  sake,  and  on  that 
account  I  rejoice.  For  were  it  otherwise,  I  would  live  in  con- 
tinual fear  that  my  ingratitude  and  unprofitableness  might 
exhaust  His  patience.  It  is  for  His  own  name's  sake  that  He 
is  so  kind  to  me,  and  this  gives  my  hope  a  firm  support.  His 
name,  as  He  revealed  it  even  to  Moses,  was  ''  The  Lord  God 
mercifid  and  gracious,  long-sti^ering,  and  abtmdant  in  goodness 
and  truths  ^  Is  not  that  a  beautiful  name  ?  Surely  when  He 
means  to  do  honour  to  it,  we  may  count  upon  much  patience 
and  long-sufi"ering,  and  reckon  that  even  great  ingratitude  and 
1  I  Thess.  iv.  11.  ^  isa.  xxx.  15.  Exod.  xxxiv.  6. 


26.   The  Lord  is  my  Shepherd.  153 

unfruitfulness  on  our  side  will  not  exhaust  His  mercy.  The 
name,  too,  is  not  of  our  giving — it  is  one  which  He  has  revealed 
to  us,  and  that  surely  should  silence  our  doubts.  I  know  now 
that  He  will  never  depart  from  me,  even  though  I  might  be 
willing  to  forsake  Him  ;  and  were  I  plunged  ever  so  deep  in 
the  abyss  I  should  still  confidently  exclaim.  Lord,  Thou  canst 
not  forsake  me — -for  Thy  name's  sake  Thou  canst  not  forsake 
me.  My  life,  when  brought  to  a  close,  like  that  of  millions 
more,  will  be  a  great  and  imperishable  testimony  that  we  have 
indeed  a  God  who  is  merciful  and  gracious,  long-suffering,  and 
abundant  in  goodness  and  truth. 

Verse  4,  "  Yea,  though  I  walk  through  the  valley  of  the 
shadow  of  death,  I  will  fear  no  evil :  for  Thou  art  with 
me  ;  Thy  rod  and  Thy  staff  they  comfort  me." 

The  path  even  of  those  who  have  found  the  one  good  Shep- 
herd often  lies  through  a  strait  and  rocky  valley,  where  the 
overarching  cliffs  intercept  the  light  of  the  sun  and  cast  a  cold 
shadow  upon  the  traveller.  But  even  in  the  gloom,  even  when 
bereft  of  the  light  of  the  sun,  I  am  not  afraid ;  I  know  that 
though  /  do  not  see  it  the  sun  is  still  above  my  head, — "  Thou 
art  with  me."  Oh  what  mountains  of  anxiety  this  simple 
thought  removes  at  once  from  the  heart,  and  what  tempests  it 
disperses  ! 

Thick  darkness  may  enshroud  me, 

And  bitter  sorrow  smart, 
And  pain  and  care  and  terror 

Burn  in  my  troubled  heart ; 

But  Thou  art  with  me,  Lord  : 

And  that  most  firm  belief, 
Which  none  can  take  away. 

Gives  to  my  soul  relief. 

What  is  it  that  can  reign  as  blessedness  within  the  soul,  and 
be  to  it  bright  sunshine  while  all  is  dark  around  ?  It  is  faith, 
and  only  the  faith  which  "  endures  as  seeing  that  which  is  in- 
visible."    Help  me,  gracious  God,  that  the  eyes  of  my  soul 


154  26.   The  Lord  is  my  Shepherd. 

may,  even  through  the  thickest  darkness,  discern  the  faithful 
rod  and  staff  that  are  wielded  over  me. 


Verse  5.  "  Thou  preparest  a  table  before  me  in  presence  of 
mine  enemies  :  Thou  anointest  my  head  with  oil ;  my  cup 
runneth  over." 

Yes,  only  let  God  be  mine,  and  let  His  presence  refresh  my 
soul,  and  I  can  be  joyful  in  the  face  of  all  enemies.  How  a 
true  and  heartfelt  sense  of  the  nearness  of  God  can  often  make 
us  unspeakably  calm  and  patient  even  when  our  adversaries 
are  raging  most  fiercely  around  !  Seasons  like  these  are  hours 
of  tuition  which  God  gives  to  man,  and  the  lessons  which  we 
then  learn  are  never  forgotten  in  all  our  future  life.  We  then 
feel  so  independent  of  the  world  and  of  all  the  creatures,  and 
as  if  we  stood  loose  from  everything  else  and  were  solely  in  the 
hand  of  our  God.  Thus  stood  the  Saviour  before  His  judge 
when  He  answered  him,  "Thou  couldst  have  no  power  at  all 
against  me  except  it  were  given  thee  from  above."  ^  Accord- 
ing to  the  Psalmist's  description,  a  man  is  then  as  if  he  were 
sitting  at  a  well-furnished  board,  his  head  anointed  with  oil, 
and  drinking  cup  after  cup  of  the  peace  of  God,  while  his  ene- 
mies are  toiling  and  raging  around  him.  Or,  as  Luther  says 
of  himself,  "  That  amidst  their  noise  and  tumult  he,  in  the  name 
of  his  God,  sat  still  and  sung  his  hymn."  The  world  cannot 
understand  such  resignation  of  self  into  the  divine  hand,  and 
is  often  exasperated  by  it ;  but  sometimes  also  its  hostility  is 
thereby  softened. 

And  how  true  likewise  are  the  Psalmist's  words  with  refer- 
ence to  inward  adversaries  !  Even  in  our  bosoms  storms  may 
rage,  and  yet  in  the  face  of  all  enemies  the  cup  of  consolation 
and  joy  is  filled  for  us  to  the  brim,  and  our  head  anointed  with 
spiritual  oil.  This  is  the  case  when  we  can  unfeignedly  say, 
Notwithstanding  I  ani  still  His  child.  He  cannot  forsake  me, 

^  John,  xix.  II. 


26.    TJie  Lord  is  my  SJicpherd.  155 

for  "  before  the  foundation  of  the  world  He  hath  made  me  ac- 
cepted in  the  Beloved."  ^  Then  takes  place  what  the  Psalmist 
describes  when  he  says,  "  In  the  multitude  of  my  thoughts 
within  me  Thy  comforts  delight  my  soul."  There  is  a  host  of 
foes  in  the  beHever's  breast,  but  there  is  also  there  a  strong 
tower  to  which  he  can  flee  for  refuge. 

Verse  6.  "  Surely  goodness  and  mercy  shall  follow  me  all 
the  days  of  my  life  :  and  I  will  dwell  in  the  house  of  the 
Lord  for  ever." 

Yes,  it  is  not  for  a  few  fleeting  years  that  I  have  found  Him. 
The  decision  I  made  was  for  all  eternity  when  I  consecrated 
to  Him  my  heart.  How  should  I  depart  from  Him,  seeing 
that  every  day  confirms  me  in  the  assurance  that  in  finding 
Him  I  have  found  the  very  life  of  my  life  ?  He,  my  generous 
Lord,  has  made  me  an  inmate  of  His  house — that  great  house 
which  is  built  upon  the  foundation  of  prophets  and  apostles, 
Jesus  Christ  being  the  chief  corner-stone,  and  which  reaches 
into  eternity.  Ought  I  to  be  insensible  to  the  high  honour 
which  He  has  thereby  conferred  upon  me  ?  Ah  me  !  was  I 
not  one  of  the  cripples  without  upon  the  streets  whom  He  sent 
His  servants  to  seek  and  invite  into  His  house  and  to  His 
supper  ?  2  "  How  amiable  are  Thy  tabernacles,  O  Lord  of 
hosts  !  my  soul  longeth,  yea,  even  fainteth  for  the  courts  of 
the  Lord  :  my  heart  and  my  flesh  crieth  out  for  the  living  God. 
Yea,  the  sparrow  hath  found  an  house,  and  the  swallow  a  nest 
for  herself,  where  she  may  lay  her  young,  even  Thine  altars,  O 
Lord  of  hosts,  my  King  and  my  God.  Blessed  are  they  that 
dwell  in  Thy  house  :  they  will  be  still  praising  Thee.  Selah."  ^ 
Such  was  the  song  of  the  Psalmist ;  and  now  that  my  soul  has 
found  a  resting-place  in  the  Church,  that  living  temple  of  my 
God,  I  too  repeat  the  strain.  It  is  good  to  dwell  in  His  house, 
good  to  be  permitted  to  dwell  even  in  the  remotest  corner  of 

1  Eph.  i.  4-6,  '^  Luke,  xiv.  21.  '^  Psalm  Ixxxiv.  1-4. 


156  26.   The  Lord  is  my  Shepherd. 

it ;  I  know  that  I  have  not  deserved  a  place  of  honour,  and 
oh  how  good  it  is  to  know  likewise  that  He  will  never  cast 
me  out,  if  I  do  not  go  of  my  own  accord!  but,  grateful  to  Him, 
I  will  gladly  dwell  in  it  from  eternity  to  eternity. 

Beneath  Thy  gentle  care,  O  Shepherd  dear, 
My  soul  a  rest  has  found  that  ne'er  shall  cease  ; 

E'en  to  the  grave  Thy  staff  will  guard  me  here, 
And  guide  me  to  my  Father's  house  in  peace.    , 

I  strayed  a  wild  tumultuous  road  along, 
My  mind  not  less  tumultuous  than  the  way  : 

Thou  didst  me  seek,  and  from  the  bustling  throng 
By  paths  unseen  to  this  lone  mead  convey. 

0  blest  retreat  !  the  blue  deep  overhead 

With  longings  strange  and  sweet  the  bosom  fills, 
While,  wafting  fragrance  through  the  flowery  glade, 
A  vernal  air  the  bosom's  longing  stills. 

Rich  is  the  banquet  both  for  heart  and  eye, 
As,  varying  still  their  hues  by  night  and  day, 

A  world  of  flowers,  like  sparkling  jewelry, 
Their  opening  loveliness  around  display. 

When  shines  the  sun  aloft  without  a  cloud. 

His  smile  evokes  a  pomp  of  colours  bright ! 
Or  if  in  gloom  his  radiant  face  he  shroud. 

Sweet  violets  shed  their  perfume  through  the  night. 

How  dear  to  me  the  calm,  so  deep  and  still. 
After  the  din  and  tumult  of  the  past  ! 

1  feel  that  undivided  now  my  will 

Shall  rest  in  Thine,  O  Shepherd  dear,  at  last. 


2/.   The  Vinedresser piLVgeth  the  Vine.  157 

27. 

W^Ay  <a;r/  thoti,  friend,  so  much  surprised  f 

Sure,  'tis  no  strange  event, 
If,  born  again  the  child  of  Christ, 

Thou  shouldst  to  SCHOOL  be  sent : 
At  school  a  child  is  tutored  best. 

As  all  the  world  allow  ; 
Atid  schools  in  which  the  ROD  is  missed 

Are  furnished  ill,  I  trow. 

John,  xv.  1,2,  "I  arn  the  true  vine,  and  my  Father  is  the 
husbandman.  Every  branch  in  me  that  beareth  not  fruit, 
He  taketh  away ;  and  every  branch  that  beareth  fruit  He 
purgeth  it,  that  it  may  bring  forth  more  fruit." 

WHILE  yet  without  a  Saviour,  I  was  like  a  wild  flower 
in  the  open  field,  or  a  tree  in  the  desert,  which  has 
none  to  bind  its  boughs  when  broken  by  the  storm — none  to 
moisten  its  roots  in  the  time  of  drought — a  poor  forsaken 
plant,  exposed  as  a  prey  to  the  storms  of  heaven  and  to  the 
cattle  that  roam  the  plain.  Now,  however.  He  has  in  love  and 
faithfulness  transplanted  me  from  the  field  into  His  garden, 
fulfilling  the  promise,  "  I  will  make  an  everlasting  covenant 
with  them,  that  I  will  not  turn  away  from  them,  to  do  them 
good ;  but  I  will  put  my  fear  in  their  hearts,  that  they  shall 
not  depart  from  me.  Yea,  I  will  rejoice  over  them  to  do  them 
good,  and  I  will  plant  them  in  this  land^  assuredly  with  my 
whole  heart  and  with  my  whole  soul."^  Oh  how  skilful  a 
Gardener,  who  has  converted  useless  weeds  into  trees  of  right- 
eousness and  pleasant  plants  !  Now  that  at  last  I  grow  in  so 
good  a  soil,  and  am  trained  by  so  wise  a  hand,  I  know  for 
certain  that  storm  and  tempest,  rain  and  sunshine,  will  all  be 
for  my  good  ! 

1  Jer.  xxxii.  40,  41. 


158  2/.   The  Vinedresser piirgetJi  the  Vine. 

When  I  look  around  upon  the  flowers  and  plants  of  the 
garden,  that  which  first  strikes  my  eye  is  their  great  variety ; 
and  yet,  various  though  they  be,  they  all  bear  a  distinguishing  '. 
mark  by  which  they  are  known.  We  see  upon  them  the  sign 
of  the  Cross.  But  for  this  it  might  be  supposed  of  many  that 
they  did  not  belong  to  the  place,  so  strange  and  diverse  are 
they  both  in  perfume  and  colour. 

O  best  of  Gardeners,  beyond  all  compare, 
Thy  flowers  Thou  trainest  with  so  faithful  care  ; 
Many  there  are  of  various  kinds  and  hue, 
Yet  each  receives  the  special  culture  due. 

This  is  what  next  excites  my  wonder  :  Plants  of  different 
kinds  require  different  modes  of  cultivation.  One  needs  to  have 
the  rain  in  spring,  another  in  summer ;  this  the  morning  and 
that  the  noontide  sun ;  some  must  be  supported  with  stakes, 
and  some  can  stand  alone ;  and  in  many  other  respects  they 
differ;  and  yet,  in  the  garden  of  the  Lord,  not  a  single  plant 
but  receives  its  own  peculiar  culture.  How  manifold  are  the 
methods  by  which  at  first  He  brings  us  into  His  garden  j  and 
afterwards,  when  we  have  taken  root,  with  what  singular  skill 
and  care  He  treats  us  !  It  is  this  that  gives  the  marvel  and 
the  charm  to  the  assemblies  of  the  children  of  God.  They 
are  all  in  one  room,  and  yet  each  has  entered  it  by  a  different 
door.  They  all  stand  before  the  throne  and  see  His  face,  and 
yet  each  sees  it  on  a  different  side.  Even  of  the  Church  upon 
earth  we  may  say  that  in  the  Father's  house  there  are  many 
maiisions ;  and  if  so,  never  ought  the  right  of  any  member  to 
his  place  to  be  called  in  question,  whatever  may  be  his  colour, 
provided  only  that  he  bears  the  imprint  of  the  Cross.  Like 
anemones  which  are  of  different  hues,  white,  red,  and  blue, 
but  which  all  in  common  show  a  black  spot,  the  flowers  in  the 
garden  of  Jesus  are  variously  tinted  and  streaked,  but  all  show 
the  mark  of  that  bloody  Bridegroom  who  loved  them  even 
unto  death,  and  has  signed  them  with  His  Cross.  If  a  7nan 
he  in  the  land  of  promise,  Christians   ought  never  to  inquire 


2/.   The  Vinedresser piu'geth  the  Vine.  159 

whether  he  found  his  way  to  it  across  the  Isthmus  or  through 
the  Red  Sea. 

Full  many  flowers,  in  my  Lord's  garden  blooming, 

Their  loveliness  display ; 
Of  varied  shape,  hue,  kind,  the  air  perfuming, 

They  stand  in  bright  array. 

How  with  their  beauty  is  the  eye  dehghted, 

That  loves  God's  hand  to  trace  ! 
How  glows  in  all,  by  skill  divine  ignited, 

Some  sweet  pecuhar  grace  ! 

There  grows  simplicity,  here  faith,  and  holy 

Wisdom  and  patie?ice  there 
Beside  the  cross,  with  truth  and  7neckncss  lowly, 

And  beauty  everywhere.- 

This  wrought  the  one  same  Spirit,  and  He  did  it 

As  to  Himself  seemed  meet ; 
And  when  each  flower  shall  in  its  place  be  fitted. 

The  wreath  will  be  complete. 

To  the  work  of  the  planter  belongs  that  also  of  weeding, 
pruning  off  the  dry  shoots  and  branches,  and  digging  about 
the  roots ;  all  of  which  the  heavenly  Husbandman  patiently 
performs.  We  are  told  in  this  parable  that  He  piirgeth  the 
fruitful  branch  that  it  may  bring  forth  vioi-e  fruit ;  and  it  is  said 
of  the  barren  fig-tree,  elsewhere,  that  He  let  it  alone  for  a  year, 
and  allowed  the  dresser  of  the  vineyard  to  dig  about  it  and 
dung  it,  if  perchance  it  might  then  become  fruitful.  A  regen- 
erate man  is  not  for  that  reason  already  a  sanctified  one.  The 
new  birth  is  nothing  else  than  for  the  person  who  was  as  a 
wild  tree  in  the  field,  to  be  transplanted  hy  faith  and  love  into 
the  garden  of  Jesus,  and  there  to  obtain  better  soil,  a  milder 
atmosphere,  and  a  more  careful  culture.  The  regenerate 
Christian  is  like  a  babe  which  has  been  born  into  a  new  and 
beautiful  world,  but  in  which  it  has  still  to  grow  and  ripeji 
unto  7?ianhood :  and  this  it  cannot  fail  to  do,  now  that  it 
breathes  so  pure  an  air,  has  so  gentle  a  heaven  above,  pleasant 
fruits  on  w^hich  to  feast  within  its  reach,  and  a  faithful  motherly 
love  continually  at  its  side.  We  ought  not,  then,  to  be  sur- 
prised when  we  find  that  even  the  regenerate  child  of  man 


i6o  27.   TJie  Vinedresser  purgeth  the  Vine. 

resembles  less  a  garden  with  only  beautiful  flowers  than  a 
garden  ivith  many  a  iveed ;  or  rather  that  he  is  a  vine  which 
needs  to  have  its  rank  shoots  pruned  off.  It  is  with  him  who 
has  been  born  again  as  is  often  to  be  seen  in  Alpine  regions  at 
the  rising  of  the  sun  :  around  the  peak  and  lofty  crest  of  the 
mountains,  a  beautiful  warm  light  settles  down  ;  while  in  the 
valleys  beneath,  snow-wreaths  and  chilly  shadows  lie,  and  lie 
so  long.  Alas  !  how  long  do  such  wreaths  and  shadows  also 
lie  in  the  depths  of  even  a  regenerate  heart !  Especially  how 
deep  a  seat  do  certain  bosom  sins  acquire,  which,  although 
they  seem  only  something  isolated — such,  perchance,  as  im- 
patience, self-will,  want  of  order  and  punctuality,  vanity — still, 
if  permitted  to  grow  unchecked,  threaten  extinction  to  the  infant 
life  of  the  new  man  !  The  whole  strength  of  the  vine  may  run 
into  two  or  three  shoots,  and  make  it  unfruitful.  A  godly  man 
has  made  the  remark,  that  by  deliberately  yielding  to  even  one 
fault  we  subvert  the  whole  fabric  of  Christianity,  and  that  to 
do  so  is  as  when  a  master  suffers  a  single  rafter  of  his  house 
to  fall  into  decay.  Now  this  is  a  matter  in  respect  of  which 
many  Christians  are  under  a  delusion.  We  are  less  clear- 
sighted to  our  own  darling  sins  than  others  are,  who  yet  dare 
not  tell  them  to  us.  And  so,  many  live  on  from  day  to  day,  the 
rafter  all  the  while  becoming  more  and  more  frail.  The  thought 
of  this  will  sometimes  suggest  itself,  and  conscience  begin 
gently  to  knock.  But  how  quickly  do  a  host  of  excuses,  like 
the  oflicious  menials  of  some  despotic  lord,  present  themselves 
and  exclaim,  "  Who  knocks  there?  Silence  !"  and  all  is  quiet 
again.  There  is  no  task  so  hard  as  for  a  man  to  take  arms 
against  himself.  Beware  then  of  excuses.  They  perform  the 
part  of  sponsors  at  the  baptisms  of  the  devil. 

Far-fetched  pretexts  and  reasonings, 
Are  fickle  and  deceptive  things  : 
Give  to  Thy  soul's  monition  heed — 
Who  spares  himself  v^\\\  not  succeed. 

Now,  because  he  knows  how  hard  it  is  for  a  man  to  use 
violence  against  himself,  the  heavenly  Husbandman  is  pleased. 


28.  He  hath  filled  me  with  Bitterness.  i6i 

in  His  goodness,  to  do  it  in  our  stead.  Sometimes  He  lops  off 
the  shoots  from  His  vine,  sometimes  digs  around  His  fig-tree, 
and  sometimes  transplants  His  flowers  into  another  bed  :  and 
as  the  weak  eye  often  does  not  know  the  rank  shoots  and 
weeds  to  be  what  they  are,  it  is  equally  blind  to  the  means  He 
sees  fit  to  employ  for  their  extirpation.  It  may  be  quite  a 
secret  and  inconsiderable  cross,  and  yet  it  may  work  great 
effects  upon  the  character.  A  slight  which  has  been  experi- 
enced, the  failure  of  some  petty  enjoyment,  a  broken  sleep,  a 
misunderstanding  with  a  friend,  all  these  are  things  which,  in 
the  hand  of  the  Gardener,  may  be  used  as  instruments  to  era- 
dicate the  weeds.  Never  then,  O  reader,  open  thy  mouth 
against  the  Sovereign  Disposer  of  all  events,  either  on  account 
of  the  great  or  the  little  crosses  of  thy  life.  Know  that  all  is 
well  ordered,  and  expressly  calculated  to  heal  thy  infirmity. 
Wilt  thou  not  so  far  put  trust  in  Him  ?  Remember  thine  eye 
and  tJmie  understanding  are  no  match  for  His. 

Unerring  is  His  skill, 

Who  undertakes  Thy  cure  ; 
Though  sharp  the  pain,  be  still, 

And  patiently  endure ; 
It  matters  not  what  instrument  he  wield, 
If  thou  be  healed. 


28. 

^t  JatJ  fllltli  me  Sniti)  Bitterness. 

Because  thou  art  alone  when  sorrow  lowers. 

Thy  spirit  faints  with  doubt  and  fear. 
Seek' st  thou  companions  in  thy  gloomy  hours  ? 

Thou  hast  that  coynfort  near. 
Ofma?i's  deep  wretchedness  and  woe. 
None  like  the  Jioly  PROPHETS  know. 

Lam.  iii.   15-39.     "He  hath  filled  me  with  bitterness,  He 
hath  made  me  drunken  with  wormwood.     He  hath  also 
L 


1 62  28.  He  hath  filled  me  with  Bitterness. 

broken  my  teeth  with  gravel  stones,  He  hath  covered  me 
with  ashes.  And  Thou  hast  removed  my  soul  far  off  from 
peace  :  I  forgat  prosperity.  And  I  said,  My  strength  and 
my  hope  is  perished  from  the  Lord  :  remembering  mine 
affliction  and  my  misery,  the  wormwood  and  the  gall. 
My  soul  hath  them  still  in  remembrance,  and  is  humbled 
in  me.  This  I  recall  to  my  mind,  therefore  have  I  hope. 
It  is  of  the  Lord's  mercies  that  we  are  not  consumed, 
because  His  compassions  fail  not.  They  are  new  every 
morning :  great  is  Thy  faithfulness.  The  Lord  is  my 
portion,  saith  my  soul;  therefore  will  I  hope  in  Him. 
The  Lord  is  good  unto  them  that  wait  for  Him,  to  the 
soul  that  seeketh  Him.  It  is  good  that  a  man  should 
both  hope  and  quietly  wait  for  the  salvation  of  the  Lord. 
It  is  good  for  a  man  that  he  bear  the  yoke  in  his  youth. 
He  sitteth  alone  and  keepeth  silence,  because  he  hath 
borne  it  upon  him.  He  putteth  his  mouth  in  the  dust,  if 
so  be  there  may  be  hope.  He  giveth  his  cheek  to  him 
that  smiteth  him  :  he  is  filled  full  with  reproach.  For  the 
Lord  will  not  cast  off  for  ever :  but  though  He  cause 
grief,  yet  will  He  have  compassion  according  to  the  mul- 
titude of  His  mercies.  For  He  doth  not  afflict  willingly, 
nor  grieve  the  children  of  men.  To  crush  under  His  feet 
all  the  prisoners  of  the  earth,  to  turn  aside  the  right  of  a 
man  before  the  face  of  the  Most  High,  to  subvert  a  man 
in  his  cause,  the  Lord  approveth  not.  Who  is  he  that 
saith,  and  it  cometh  to  pass,  when  the  Lord  commandeth 
it  not  ?  Out  of  the  mouth  of  the  Most  High  proceedeth 
not  evil  and  good  ?  Wherefore  doth  a  living  man  com- 
plain, a  man  for  the  punishment  of  his  sins  ?  " 

WHAT  are  all  the  heartbreaks  and  tribulation  of  which 
any  of  us  have  to  complain,  compared  with  what  the 
witnesses  for  God  in  the  olden  times  endured?  The  Lord 
bids  us  "rejoice,  and  be  exceeding  glad  :  for  great,"  He  says, 
"  is  your  reward  in  heaven  :  for  so  persecuted  they  the  prophets 


28.  He  hath  filled  me  with  Bitterness.  163 

which  were  before  you  \ "  ^  and  He  thereby  directs  our  atten- 
tion to  the  fact  that  as  we  are  not  the  first,  so  neither  also 
shall  we  be  the  last  whose  appointed  lot  it  is  to  eat  the  bread  of 
sorrow,  whether  in  the  Lord's  cause  or  on  some  other  account. 
As  in  the  ark  of  the  covenant,  so  upon  His  table  the  rod  and 
the  inaiina  are  placed  side  by  side.^  In  this  view  it  is  like- 
wise consolatory  to  read  in  the  Old  Testament  the  histories 
of  those  worthies  whom  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  calls  the 
cloud  of  witnesses,  and  in  the  nth  chapter  mentions  by  name. 

But  above  the  rest,  I  have  always  found  that  my  faith  was 
greatly  strengthened  by  reading  the  prophet  Jeremiah.  Truly 
he  was  a  man  of  tears.  Can  any  one  hear  without  being 
deeply  moved,  when,  for  instance,  at  the  commencement  of 
the  9th  chapter,  he  exclaims,  "  O  that  my  head  were  waters, 
and  mine  eyes  a  fountain  of  tears,  that  I  might  weep  day  and 
night  for  the  slain  of  the  daughter  of  my  people"?  or  when,  in 
his  Book  of  Lamentations,  he  bewails  his  lot  in  the  passage 
cited  as  the  text,  and  in  a  subsequent  verse  cries  out,  "Mine 
eye  runneth  down  with  rivers  of  water  for  the  destruction  of 
the  daughter  of  my  people  :  mine  eye  trickleth  down,  and 
ceaseth  not  without  any  intermission,  till  the  Lord  look  down 
and  behold  from  heaven  "  ?  Think  of  the  great  personal  suf- 
ferings, the  unmeasured  derision,  the  blows,  the  cruel  imprison- 
ment, and  all  but  a  death  by  hunger,  which  he  endured  for  the 
testimony  he  bore  to  the  truth.^  But  little  did  he  account  of 
his  own  calamities  when  compared  with  those  of  his  people. 
Yes,  this  prophet  is  the  right  master  to  teach  us  the  duty  of 
looking  on  the  afiliction  of  others  as  if  it  were  our  own. 

These  Lamentations  were  written  at  the  time  when  King 
Zedekiah,  with  his  eyes  put  out  and  his  limbs  bound  with 
fetters  of  brass,  was  dragged  off  to  Babylon — when  Jerusalem 
and  the  Temple  were  burned,  the  wall  of  the  city  laid  level 
with  the  ground,  and  the  whole  population  of  the  land,  save 
some  of  the  poorest  class,  carried  away  into  captivity.  It  was 
then  that  the  prophet  took  his  seat  upon  the  ruins  of  the  city 
1  Matt.  V.  12,  2  Heb.  ix.  4.  3  jer,  xx.  37,  38. 


164  28.  He  hath  filled  me  with  Bitterness. 

which  had  once  been  ''great  among  the  nations,  and  a  prin- 
cess among  the  provinces."  ^  He  had  tarried  behind  with  the 
poor  remnant  of  the  people ;  but  even  from  them  he  reaped 
only  mockery  and  insult,  and  at  length  was  obliged  to  accom- 
pany them  on  their  flight  to  Egypt,  although  assuring  them  at 
the  time  that  the  strong  arm  of  Nebuchadnezzar  would  reach 
them  even  there.  "I  was  a  derision,"  he  says,  "to  all  my 
people,  and  their  song  all  the  day."  ^  We  see  from  this  that 
even  strong-minded  men  like  the  prophets  knew  the  bitterness 
and  temptation  of  despair  no  less  than  we,  the  weakly  children 
of  an  eifeminate  age.  And  surely  in  the  fellowship  of  their 
tears  there  is  strong  consolation.  O  heaven  !  is  it  possible 
that  a  man  like  Jeremiah  could  cry  out  :  "  Ever  since  I  spake, 
and  cried,  and  preached  of  violence  and  spoil,  the  word  of  the 
Lord  has  been  made  a  reproach  unto  me,  and  a  derision  daily. 
Then  I  said,  /  will  not  make  mention  of  Him,  nor  speak  any 
more  in  His  name :  hut  His  word  was  in  mine  heart  as  a  burning 
fire  shut  up  in  7ny  bones,  and  I  was  weary  with  forbeari7ig,  and 
I  could  not  stay  "  1  Is  it  possible  that  such  a  man  of  faith  could 
curse,  like  Job,  the  day  of  his  birth,  and  say,  "  Would  that  He 
had  slain  me  from  the  womb,  or  that  my  mother  might  have 
been  my  grave  "?^ 

I  always  supposed  that  seasons  in  which  the  tempter  thus 
fiercely  assails  the  soul  were  a  secret  of  my  own  history,  and 
here  I  plainly  read  that  such  seasons  were  known  even  to  God's 
holiest  servants.  And,  doubtless,  there  are  many  of  whom 
we  least  suspect  it,  and  who  yet  are  wading  in  the  deep  waters 
up  to  the  throat.  Blessed,  therefore,  be  God  for  the  comfort 
that  I  can  extract  from  their  lamentations.  I  now  know  with 
greater  certainty  than  I  ever  hoped  for,  that  even  when  we 
feel  the  bitter  pain  of  temptation,  and  when  Satan  seems  to  be 
on  the  point  of  laying  hands  upon  our  souls,  the  mercy  of  the 
Lord  does  not  fail.  The  Psalmist  says  it  is  new  unto  us  every 
morning.  "Weeping  may  endure  for  a  night,  but  joy  cometh 
in  the  morning."  ^ 
1  Lam.  i.  i.  "^  Lam.  iii.  14.  ^  Jer.  xx.  9,  17.  ^  Psalm  xxx.  5. 


28.  He  hath  filled  me  with  Bitterness.  165 

Yes,  even  in  the  darkest  nights  of  tribulation  an  inward 
voice  whispers  that  His  compassion  will  reappear  with  the 
dawn.  "Thou  wilt  remember  these  things,"  he  here  says, 
^^for  7ny  soul  telleth  7?ie.''^  Yes,  my  soul  telleth  me  "  that  He 
doth  not  afflict  willingly,  nor  grieve  the  children  of  men." 
And  if  He  do  it  unwillingly,  the  correction,  when  it  has 
accomplished  its  purpose,  will  come  to  an  e7id.  "  Though  He 
cause  grief,"  saith  the  prophet,  "  yet  will  He  have  compassion, 
according  to  the  multitude  of  His  mercies."  And  again,  ''  It 
is  good  that  a  man  should  both  hope  and  quietly  wait  for  the 
salvation  of  the  Lord."  Such  are  the  words  of  this  man  of 
tears — of  him  who  had  preached  for  half  a  century,  and  con- 
tinually earned  for  his  pains  only  fresh  contradiction  and  in- 
gratitude ;  and,  being  his,  they  are  words  of  experience^  on 
which  we  can  safely  build.  I  too,  therefore,  will  "  put  my 
mouth  in  the  dust,  if  so  there  may  be  hope." 

Wait  patiently  the  happy  ho7ir 

Ordained  for  thy  relief, 
For  come  it  surely  will  with  power, 

And  change  to  joy  thy  grief. 
Nay,  more,  to  put  to  shame  thy  fear, 
When  looked  for  least  it  will  appear. 

All  that  the  prophet  suffered,  he  suffered  from  his  fellow- 
men  ;  and  when  the  Lord  puts  into  human  hands  the  rod  of 
our  chastisement,  the  chastisement  is  always  worse  to  bear 
than  when  He  keeps  it  in  His  own.  And  for  this  many  rea- 
sons may  be  assigned.  One  is  that  when  it  is  i7ian  who  brings 
his  brother  into  the  furnace,  it  is  less  easy  to  think,  according 
to  the  words  of  David,  that  "  the  Lord  hath  bidden  him."  In 
such  cases,  likewise,  more  than  in  others,  the  old  Adam  re- 
sists more  stoutly,  and  therefore  it  is  necessary  always  to  bear 
in  mind  with  Jeremiah,  "  Who  is  he  that  saith,  a7id  it  co77ieth  to 
pass,  wlwi  the  Lord  C077i77ia7ideth  it  7iot  ?  "  How  precious  a  text 
this  is  !  It  teaches  us,  in  the  first  place,  that  all  misfortunes, 
however  insidious  may  be  their  attacks,  are  mere  agents  and 
1  Lam.  iii.  20 — Luther's  vers. 


1 66  2S.  He  hath  filled  me  with  Bitterness. 

messengers  of  the  Lord,  compelled  to  subserve  the  execution 
of  His  purposes  of  love ;  and  as  Luther  says,  "  Well  does  the 
Lord  know  how  to  make  one  knave  apply  the  rod  to  the  back 
of  another."  What  room,  then,  is  there  for  hatred  or  malice 
in  the  breast  of  a  Christian  who  looks  upon  even  bitter  ene- 
mies as  messengers  sent  to  him  from  God  with  a  menace  or  a 
blow?  In  the  second  place,  it  instructs  us  to  turn  our  eye 
away  from  the  thoughts  and  intentions  of  all  adversaries,  and 
direct  it  to  the  thoughts  of  love  cherished  towards  us  by  the 
Lord,  according  as  David  sings  :  "  Thou  preparest  a  table 
before  me  in  the  presence  of  mine  enemies ;  my  cup  runneth 
over."     While  they  rage  and  storm,  I  am  of  good  cheer,  and 

say,— 

Full  well  I  know  that  God's  intent 
St  Peter's  self  cannot  prevent. 

Oh  what  a  world  of  vexation  are  they  spared  who,  under 
every  cross  which  they  suffer  from  the  hands  of  men,  think 
more  of  what  the  Lord  than  of  what  men  intend  to  do  ! 

Ye  foes  of  mine,  why  take  such  pains  to  wound  me  and  annoy? 
What  are  ye  all  but  officers  in  our  great  God's  employ  ? 
Bitter,  indeed,  would  be  my  grief,  unless  full  well  I  knew 
That  God  the  surgeon  is,  and  His  mere  instrmneiits  zx^  you. 
O  happy  he  who  sees  the  threads  of  all  that's  said  and  done 
By  man  on  earth  meet  in  the  hand  of  the  Almighty  One  ! 

It  would  appear,  then,  that  for  man  here  upon  earth  the 
only  misfortune  is  sin.  Tell  me,  dear  reader,  what  would  it 
matter  though  sickness  and  poverty,  the  mockery  and  con- 
tempt of  adversaries,  and  even  death  itself,  were  to  assail  thee, 
if  thy  heart  were  armed  with  the  faith  a?id  patience  of  the  saints, 
and  if  thou  hadst  learned  quietly  to  wait,  and  trustfully  and 
hopefully  to  humble  thyself  under  the  mighty  hand  of  God  ? 
What  is  it  but  sin  that  blackens  affliction,  or  what  is  a  mis- 
fortune to  any  man  unless  he  regard  it  as  such  ?  Is  not  our 
bearing  towards  affliction  that  which  makes  it  affliction  at  all  ? 
"Wherefore  doth  a  living  man  complain?"  Let  him  complain 
of  his  sin.     Thou  art  poor,  my  brother,  but  why  murmur  at 


29-   Count  it  Joy  when  ye  fall  into  Temptations.     167 

thy  poverty,  and  not  rather  at  thy  discontented  heart,  which 
can  never  have  enough  ?  Thy  talents  are  few  and  small,  but 
why  wilt  thou  murmur  at  that,  and  not  much  more  at  the 
devil  of  pride,  which  cannot  brook  being  numbered  among 
those  who  are  not  "  noble  after  the  flesh  "  ?  Thine  enemies 
sorely  vex  thee,  but  why  murmur  against  them,  and  not  rather 
against  thine  own  unbelieving  heart,  which  will  not  be  per- 
suaded that  they  can  do  nothing  to  thee  but  what  the  Lord 
bids  them  ?  In  short,  among  all  the  calamities  of  earth,  only 
one  is  real,  and  that  is  sin. 

O  Holy  Spirit  of  the  Lord,  teach  me  the  fear  of  sin.  Thy 
will  is  that  all  Thy  children  should  fear  it  more  than  suffering. 
When,  however,  I  inquire  at  my  inmost  heart  which  of  the  two 
I  dread  the  most,  I  find  that  I  incline  to  be  exempt  from  the 
assaults  of  affliction  more  than  from  the  wiles  of  sin ;  and,  O 
Lord,  so  long  as  this  is  the  case,  I  am  not  wholly  Thine. 
Spirit  of  might !  subdue  the  infirmity  of  my  flesh ;  arm  me 
with  the  strength  which  enabled  the  prophets  of  old  to  stand 
fast  even  when  the  floods  overwhelmed  their  souls.  O  God, 
Thou  art  very  rich — even  now  as  rich  as  Thou  wert  in  those 
days.  All  the  many  millions  to  whose  penury  Thou  hast  since 
been  ministering  with  gift  upon  gift  have  not  exhausted  Thy 
treasures ;  and  well  I  know  that  if  I  supplicate  Thee  in  earnest. 
Thou  wilt  not  send  me  away  empty. 


29. 

Count  ft  I02  infjen  ge  fall  into  ^cmptatuitts. 

Thou  didst  taste  the  cross. 
And  find  it  bitter.     Next  time  ponder  well ; 
Perhaps  "'twas  not  the  kernel,  but  the  shell. 

James,  i.  i,  2.  "James,  a  servant  of  God  and  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  to  the   twelve  tribes  which  are  scattered 


1 68     29.  Count  it  Joy  when  ye  fall  into  Te^nptations. 

abroad,  greeting.     My  brethren,  count  it  all  joy  when  ye 
fall  into  divers  temptations." 

HOW  profitable  it  is  to  read  the  words  of  one  who  was 
connected  by  birth  with  the  Lord  of  glory,  and  who 
afterwards  became  His  spiritual  brother  and  servant !  Not 
until  after  long  resistance  were  James  and  John  brought  to 
acknowledge  in  Him  who  was  brother  to  them  after  the  flesh, 
their  Lord  and  Master  after  the  Spirit.  Now,  however,  James 
can  find  for  himself  no  nobler  title  than  "  servant  of  God  and 
of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  The  "greeting"  means  in  the 
original,  '''■Be  of  good  cheer  T^  and  was  the  customary  form  of 
salutation  among  the  members  of  the  infant  Church.  We  find 
them  using  it  towards  each  other  under  all  circumstances,  not 
even  excepting  temptatio7is ;  for  the  apostle  here  says,  that 
when  they  fell  into  divers  temptations,  they  were  to  count  it 
all  joy.  Have  I  advanced  so  far?  True  it  is — and  it  is  to 
Thee,  O  Grace  Eternal !  that  I  am  indebted  for  it — that  I  can 
often,  in  the  midst  of  temptation,  exult  in  the  prospect  of  the 
time  when  "  they  that  sow  in  tears  shall  reap  in  joy."  And 
who  has  ever  been  able,  in  some  blissful  moments  when  the 
veil  of  the  sanctuary  was  withdrawn,  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  the 
crown  of  life  "  which  the  Lord  has  promised  to  them  that  love 
Him,"  without  exulting? 

How  rich  and  full  the  banquet  is, 

When  to  the  soul  is  given 
To  draw  the  curtain  that  divides 

This  lower  world  from  heaven  ! 

Then  in  the  bosom  all  is  calm, 

No  cares  or  passions  move  ; 
While  drops  of  the  eternal  light 

Fall  gently  from  above. 

But  to  do  what  the  apostle  here  requires — viz.,  to  praise  the 
Lord  for  the  temptation  itself— 2X2.^  !  that  is  very  hard.  The 
medicine  is  still  bitter  to  the  taste,  although  we  may  know  that 
it  is  the  only  effectual  cure.     To  Thee,  therefore,  O  crucified 


29.   Count  it  Joy  ivhen  ye  fall  into  Temptations.     169 

Love,  who  didst  willingly  undergo  so  bitter  sufferings  on  my 
account,  I  address  my  prayer,  that  Thou  wouldst  help  me  to 
overcome  the  antipathy  to  the  cross  which  is  so  deeply  seated 
in  my  flesh.  At  the  same  time  I  also  know,  that  having 
Thyself,  in  the  days  of  Thy  flesh,  prayed  that  the  cup  might 
pass  from  Thee,  Thou  wilt  be  to  me  a  merciful  High  Priest, 
and  have  compassion  on  my  infirmity.  In  the  garden  of 
Paradise,  when  man  was  in  innocence,  there  grew  no  thorns 
to  wound,  and  no  wood  of  which  to  make  a  cross.  These 
were  prepared  for  him  only  when  he  had  fallen ;  and  oh. 

Blame  not  the  tears  of  those  who  pant  to  be 
Quit  of  the  cross  and  all  earth's  misery. 

Verses  3,  4.  ''  Knowing  this,  that  the  trying  of  your  faith 
worketh  patience.  But  let  patience  have  her  perfect 
work,  that  ye  may  be  perfect  and  entire,  wanting  nothing." 

In  truth,  from  no  scrutiny  of  the  heart,  however  deep  it  may 
go,  can  we  ascertain  that  we  do  believe.  It  is  only  trial  that 
can  teach  us  this.  In  the  parable  of  the  sower  we  are  told 
that  not  "  till  the  sun  was  up  "^  was  it  discovered  that  the  seed 
had  no  root ;  and  it  is  even  so  with  faith.  No  man  can  know 
whether  that  noble  plant  has  struck  its  roots  in  the  better 
world,  until  the  sun  of  tribulation  has  risen  and  shot  down  its 
scorching  rays  upon  his  head.  Patience  must  have  had  her 
perfect  work,  must  have  endured  unto  the  end,  before  all  the 
fair  virtues,  which  James  calls  fruits  of  the  wisdom  from  above, 
can  appear  in  the  Christian's  character,  making  him  "  pure, 
peaceable,  gentle,  and  easy  to  be  entreated,  full  of  mercy  and 
good  fruits,  without  partiality,  and  without  hypocrisy."  ^  I 
find  in  all  Christians  who  have  passed  through  much  tribula- 
tion a  certain  quality  of  ripe?tess,  which  I  am  of  opinion  can 
be  acquired  in  no  other  school.  Just  as  a  certain  degree  of 
solar  heat  is  necessary  to  bring  the  finest  sorts  of  fruit  to  per- 
fection, so  is  the  fiery  trial  ^  indispensable  for  ripening  the 

1  Matt.  xiii.  6.  ^  James,  iii.  17,  3  j  pgt^  jy.  12. 


I/O     29.  Cotmt  it  Joy  zvhen  ye  fall  into  Temptations. 

inner  man.  Claudius  calls  the  Christian  who  has  been  sub- 
jected to  it  "the  man  with  the  moonbeam  on  his  face."  It  is 
night  that  gives  their  brilliancy  to  the  stars ;  and,  in  like 
manner,  the  night  of  adversity  spreads  over  the  countenance 
of  the  Christian  who  has  endured  it  a  strange  cast,  which 
bespeaks  itself  to  be  of  the  other  world  and  enforces  reverence. 
All  this  I  well  know,  and  there  are  times  when  the  little  cross 
upon  my  shoulder  really  does  appear  as  if  it  were  a  wifig  given 
me  by  God  to  help  me  to  soar  aloft.  But  in  other  hours, 
when  faith  fails,  it  also  seems  to  me  as  a  heavy  weight  that 
bends  me  still  nearer  to  the  earth.  Oh  that  on  such  occasions 
I  could  but  rivet  my  eye  upon  the  experience  which  Thou,  O 
Heavenly  Wisdom,  hast  enabled  me  to  gather  from  the  past  \ 
for  when  didst  Thou  ever  present  me  with  a  bitter  fruit  which 
was  not  at  least  sweet  at  the  core  ?  When  didst  Thou  ever 
lead  me  into  the  wilderness  without  showing  me  a  treasure 
there?  No,  Lord,  I  must  bear  testimony  that  that  Thou  hast 
never  done.  And  am  I  not  then  a  weak  and  foolish  child 
when  I  still  distrust  Thee  ? 

Oh  let  the  noble  thought  my  heart  elate, 
That  all  things  ripen  towards  a  perfect  state, 
And  that  to  quarrel  with  Heaven's  high  decree 
Is  but  to  aggravate  our  misery. 
Come,  teach  me  resignation  ;  though  the  worst 
To  learn  of  all  man's  duties,  'tis  the  first. 

Verse  5.  "  If  any  of  you  lack  wisdom,  let  him  ask  of  God, 
that  giveth  to  all  men  with  simplicity,^  and  upbraideth 
not;  and  it  shall  be  given  him." 

No  doubt  even  tribulation,  in  and  of  itself,  makes  no  man 
wise  and  good.  He  is  not  a  Christian  who  merely  wears  the 
thorny  crown.  We  must,  on  our  own  part,  wisely  improve 
tribulation,  if  by  its  means  we  are  to  acquire  wisdom  and 
advance  to  ripeness.  To  this  end  we  need  to  pray  to  God  for 
correct  insight  and  a  right  deportment.  And  how  unspeak- 
1  Luther's  vers. 


k 


29-   Count  it  Joy  wheji  ye  fall  into  Temptations.     17 1 

ably  sweet  is  the  inducement  to  prayer  which  the  apostle  here 
holds  out !  We  men,  when  we  give,  rarely  do  it  with  simplicity ; 
we  reflect  too  much  in  place  of  asking  the  single  question,  Can 
I  in  truth,  with  this  boon  of  mine,  mitigate  a  sorrow  or  wipe 
away  a  tear  ?  But  oh,  what  a  thought !  My  God  giveth  with 
simplicity.  All  that  He  looks  for  on  my  part  is  sincerity  of 
desire ;  and  if  He  find  it,  His  heart  and  hand  are  opened  wide. 
He  upbraideth  not.  Repeat  your  visits  too  frequently  to 
earthly  benefactors,  and  though  they  be  the  best  of  men,  they 
will  upbraid  you.  Not  so  my  God.  To  Him  all  may  go,  and 
all  as  often  as  they  please^  for  He  is  rich  unto  all  that  call  upon 
Him}  What  an  encouragement  to  us  to  appear  frequently  as 
suppliants  at  His  throne  !  The  candle  does  not  emit  a  feebler 
ray  for  all  the  many  tapers  that  are  kindled  at  its  flame ;  and  it 
is  even  so  with  the  wealth  of  our  God.  All  the  creatures 
whom  He  has  called  into  existence  stand  as  beggars  around 
His  throne,  and  depart  only  to  return;  and  yet  His  hand  of 
grace  is  never  weary  with  giving. 

Verses  6,  7,  8.  "  But  let  him  ask  in  faith,  nothing  wavering. 
For  he  that  wavereth  is  like  a  wave  of  the  sea  driven  with 
the  wind  and  tossed.  For  let  not  that  man  think  that  he 
shall  receive  anything  of  the  Lord.  A  double-minded 
man  is  unstable  in  all  his  ways." 

This  passage  has  made  many  a  reader  afraid.  I  myself 
remember  the  time  when  I  did  not  venture  to  pray,  because 
methought  I  wavered.  And  yet  I  became  aware  that  wavering 
makes  a  man  unhappy ;  that  when  he  does  not  surely  know 
what  he  believes,  he  knows  as  little  what  he  does,  and  becomes 
unstable  in  all  his  ways.  It  is  only  a  steadfast  faith  that  can 
give  steadfastness  to  the  walk.  Is  it  not  clear,  however,  that 
he  who  sincerely  desires  to  believe  is  already  a  believer  ?  He 
who  would  fain  believe  that  the  little  flag  descried  on  the 
distant  horizon  may  prove  a  bark  hastening  to  rescue  him  from 

1  Rom.  X.  12, 


1/2     29-  Coimt  it  Joy  when  ye  fall  into  Temptations. 

the  waves  with  which  he  struggles,  begins  to  hope.  And  what 
is  hope  but  faith  looking  to  the  good  things  to  co/ne  ?  There  are 
persons  of  whom  the  Apostle  Paul  speaks  as  being  apprehended 
of  Christ  before  Christ  has  been  apprehended  of  them.  And 
such  is  the  case  of  the  man  who  wishes  to  believe,  but  finds 
that  he  cannot.  Faith  has  apprehended  him  ere  he  is  con- 
scious of  it,  or  has  on  his  part  apprehended  faith.  Augustus 
Herman  Franke  once,  at  a  time  when  his  faith  wavered, 
uttered  the  prayer,  "O  God,  if  a  God  there  be,  manifest  Thy- 
self to  me."  Surely  we  may  say,  that  unless  God  had  appre- 
hended him,  the  holy  man  could  never  have  prayed  in  such 
terms.  Now  that  I  am  aware  of  this,  I  boldly  persevere  in 
prayer,  even  when  my  faith  is  weak.  On  these  occasions  the 
prayer  I  offer  is  that  of  the  suppliant  father,  ^^  Lord,  I  believe ; 
help  Thou  mine  unbelief''^  How  beautiful  a  prayer,  and  how 
far  it  carries  us  on  !  In  praying  it,  I  have  learned  that  "  who- 
soever hath,  to  him  shall  be  given,  and  he  shall  have  more  abun- 
dance.^^ He  who  ventu7'es  anything  into  the  bands  of  God 
gains  a  prize,  and  one  ^  commensurate  with  his  stake.  Of  all 
lotteries  this  is  the  best. 

O  Lord,  well  do  I  know  that  the  trials  Thou  appointest  are 
a  boon  of  Thy  grace ;  provided  only  that  on  our  part  there  be 
no  lack  of  faith.  Be  it  mine,  therefore,  patiently  to  endure, 
however  hotly  the  sun  of  tribulation  may  shine.  I  know  that 
it  will  serve  to  ripen  my  faith.  Vouchsafe  to  me  wisdom  so  to 
improve  affliction,  as  that  the  ends  for  which  it  is  allotted  to 
me  may  be  answered.  Despise  not  the  oblation,  though  all 
the  faith  I  can  present  is  but  as  a  grain  of  mustard-seed.  On 
the  surface  of  my  soul  the  billows  may  often  roll  to  and  fro, 
but  within  there  is  a  calm.  Deep  in  the  core  of  my  being  I 
cleave  unto  Thee.  Wholly  to  belong  to  Thee,  whether  that 
end  be  reached  by  the  way  of  suffering  or  enjoyment,  is  the 
inmost  passion  of  my  heart.  "  Lord,  I  believe ;  help  Thou 
mine  unbelief." 

1  Mark,  ix.  24. 


30.  I  earnestly  remember  my  Son.  173 

30. 

31  earnestly  r£mcm&er  mg  ^on. 

Tcic  heavy  are  the  strokes  of  God, 

I  hear  thee,  friend,  complain, 
As  if  He  loved  to  use  the  rod. 

And  did  not  heed  thy  pai?i. 

Ah  710!  He  feels  of  every  blow 

As  well  as  thou  the  smart ; 
And  wouldst  thou  but  thy  sins  forego, 

He  with  tfu  rod  would  part. 

Jer.  xxxi.  15-20.  "  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  A  voice  was  heard 
in  Ramah,^  lamentation  and  bitter  weeping ;  Rachel  weep- 
ing for  her  children,  refused  to  be  comforted  for  her  chil- 
dren, because  they  were  not.  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  Refrain 
thy  voice  from  weeping,  and  thine  eyes  from  tears  :  for 
thy  work "  shall  be  rewarded,  saith  the  Lord ;  and  they 
shall  come  again  from  the  land  of  the  enemy.  And  there 
is  hope  in  thine  end,  saith  the  Lord,  that  thy  children 
shall  come  again  to  their  own  border.  I  have  surely 
heard  Ephraim  bemoaning  himself  thus  ;  Thou  hast  chas- 
tised me,  and  I  was  chastised,  as  a  bullock  unaccustomed 
to  the  yoke :  turn  Thou  me,  and  I  shall  be  turned ;  for 
Thou  art  the  Lord  my  God.  Surely  after  that  I  was  turned, 
I  repented ;  and  after  that  I  was  instructed,  I  smote  upon 
my  thigh  \^  I  was  ashamed,  yea,  even  confounded,  because 
I  did  bear  the  reproach  of  my  youth.  Is  (not)  Ephraim 
my  dear  son  ?  is  he  (not)  a  pleasant  child  ?  for  since  I 
spake  against  him,  I  do  earnestly  remember  him  still : 
therefore  my  bowels  are  troubled  for  him :  I  will  surely 
have  mercy  upon  him,  saith  the  Lord." 

1  The  Jews  passed  through  Ramah  when  led  captive  to  Babylon.— Jer. 
xl.  I. 
'-*  Trouble,  ^  Sign  of  mourning. — Ezek.  xxi.  12. 


ly^  30.  I  earnestly  remember  my  Son. 

RACHEL,  the  great  representative  mother  of  the  race 
of  Israel,  mourned  and  wept  when  her  children  were 
being  led  away  captive  to  Babylon ;  but  simultaneously  with 
the  voice  of  her  weeping,  the  prophetic  word  of  consolation  is 
heard  announcing  that  when  the  Lord  should  have  accom- 
plished the  purposes  of  His  heart  towards  His  people,  their 
affliction  should  cease,  and  their  work  be  fully  rewarded. 

When  a  man  has  learned  to  recognise  the  image  of  himself 
in  Israel,  that  nation  with  the  iron  neck  and  brazen  brow,  how 
do  the  narratives  of  the  Old  Testament  become  rousing  calls 
and  mighty  hammer-strokes  to  his  obdurate  heart !  There  is 
a  fiery  severity  in  the  God  who  of  old,  whenever  His  people 
waxed  proud,  led  them  forth  into  the  wilderness;  and  that 
fiery  severity  we  too  ought  to  feel  when  He  leads  us  into  the 
wilderness  now.  I  find  that  a  sense  of  it  helps  greatly  to 
alleviate  every  tribulation.  We  become  aware  that  God  is 
concerned  about  us,  and  that  itself  is  tasting  that  He  is  near; 
for  there  is  a  vast  difference  between  merely  feeling  the  smart 
of  the  scourge  upon  our  back  and  seeing  besides  the  human, 
or  rather  the  divine,  hajid  that  wields  it.  He  has  not  given 
me  up,  is  the  thought  that  first  suggests  itself  to  my  mind, 
when  I  begin  to  be  sensible  of  the  zeal  of  my  God,  breathed 
forth  from  my  tribulation.  I  then  exclaim  with  the  prophet, 
"  Lord  of  Hosts,  great  in  counsel  and  mighty  in  work.  Thine 
eyes  are  open  on  all  the  ways  of  the  sons  of  men,  to  give 
every  one  according  to  his  ways,  and  according  to  the  fruit  of 
his  doings."^  It  is  sweet  to  read  that  "the  eyes  of  the  Lord 
are  upon  the  righteous,  and  His  ears  are  open  to  their  cry."  ^ 
But  it  is  sweet  also  to  read,  "  I  will  set  my  eyes  upon  them 
for  evil,  and  not  for  good."^  Yes,  even  in  that  there  is  con- 
solation in  the  end ;  for  if  by  the  rigour  of  His  chastisements 
God  does  not  forsake  the  ungodly  man,  though  the  ungodly 
man  may  forsake  Him,  there  is  love  involved  in  His  justice. 
How  beautifully  this  is  expressed  even  in  that  passage  of  the 
Old  Testament  Scriptures  where,  by  the  mouth  of  Moses,  the 

1  Jer,  xxxii.  19.  ^  Psalm  xxxiv.  15.  3  Amos,  ix.  4. 


30.  I  earnestly  remember  my  Son.  175 

Lord  upbraids  Israel,  reminding  her  how  he  had  humbled  her 
for  forty  years  in  the  wilderness,  and  proved  her,  in  order  to 
know  "  what  was  in  her  heart."  We  read,  "  Thou  shalt  also 
consider  in  thine  heart  that  as  a  man  chasteneth  his  son,  so  also 
shall  the  Lord  my  God  chasten  thee^  ^  And  no  less  beautifully 
does  the  Lord  express  it  in  the  passage  before  us  :  "Is  (not) 
Ephraim  my  dear  son  ?  is  he  (not)  a  pleasant  child  ?  for  since 
I  spake  against  him,  I  do  earnestly  remember  him  still :  there- 
fore my  bowels  are  troubled  for  him  :  I  will  surely  have  mercy 
upon  him,  saith  the  Lord." 

Yes,  thou  God  of  Love,  Thy  wayward  son  is  still  dear  to 
Thee,  is  still  Thy  pleasant  child.  What,  then,  although  Thou 
chasten  him  ?  we  still  can  see  how  truly  it  is  written  of  Thee 
that  the  Lord  doth  not  afflict  willmgly,  nor  grieve  the  children 
of  men. 2  Still  may  he  who  recognises  the  intentmi  of  Thy 
penalties  aver, — 

Love  is  Thy  nature's  essence,  and  the  source 

From  which  alone  flows  Thy  severity. 

Yes,  well  may  Thy  children  so  say ;  for  if  it  be  with  sorrow  of 
heart  that  Thou  correctest  them,  the  blows  Thou  inflictest  fall 
upon  Thyself,  and  our  wounds  are  also  Thine.  Oh  then,  how 
wondrously  the  magnitude  of  Thy  love  is  manifested  to  us  in 
Thy  severest  strokes  ! 

Yes,  in  the  very  rigour  with  which  Thou  visitest,  in  order  to 
reclaim,  the  sinner,  there  is  love  concealed;  and  no  sooner 
does  the  soul  learn  to  taste  that  love  than  Thy  corrections 
appear  wondrously  sweet  and  good.  Yes,  dear  reader,  even 
the  chastisements  of  the  Lord  may  become  manna  to  thee, 
and  make  thee  say — 

I  do  not  see  the  rod, 

Only  the  hand  I  see 
Which  so  much  care  bestowed 

On  wayward  child  like  me. 
The  rod  is  bitter  food  ; 

But  passing  sweet  the  love 
Which  wisely  wields  it  for  my  good 

When  I  rebellious  prove. 

1  Deut.  viii.  5.  ^  Lam.  iii.  33. 


176  30-  I  earnestly  remember  my  Son. 

The  Saviour  says,  "  My  meat  is  to  do  the  will  of  Him  that 
sent  me."  To  suffer  the  will  of  God  is  likewise  a  meat  on  which, 
under  affliction,  our  inner  man  may  feed  from  day  to  day. 
Yes,  my  soul,  mark  well  the  word — it  is  meat  to  suffer  the  will 
of  God.  If,  then,  with  enfeebled  Hmbs  thou  be  stretched  upon 
a  sick-bed,  or,  with  fetters  on  thy  hand,  immured  in  a  prison — 
if  men  have  pushed  thee  aside  so  that  thou  canst  not  do,  as 
thou  wouldst  wish,  the  will  of  God,  by  advancing  His  king- 
dom, see  here  a  task  which  thou  hast  still  power  to  execute 
for  His  sake  :  thou  canst  suffer  His  will,  and  suffer  it  patiently, 
so  as  to  find  in  it  a  meat  for  thy  inner  man.  The  love-born 
zeal  of  thy  God  is  the  hidden  manna  of  affliction ;  but  neither 
dost  Thou  on  Thy  part,  O  my  God  and  Father,  afflict  Thy 
human  offspring  willingly ;  and  it  is  because  Thou  wouldst 
rather  bless  than  buffet  them  that  Thou  chastenest  them  in 
measure. 

Love,  mercy,  patience  to  display, 
And  pardon  sinners  day  by  day  ; 
To  help  the  weak,  the  sick  to  tend. 
And  great  and  small  alike  befriend. 
Is  Thy  deUght. 

That  is  the  reason  why  Thou  correctest  with  measure  and 
refrainest  to  smite,  the  moment  Thy  son  Ephraim  has  come 
to  a  right  mind  and  blushed  and  repented.  "  The  Lord  killeth 
and  maketh  alive ;  He  bringeth  down  to  the  grave  and  bring- 
eth  up."^  How  well  also  does  the  history  of  Thy  people 
teach  this  consolatory  lesson  :  "  I  will  allure  her,"  Thou  sayest, 
"  and  bring  her  into  the  wilderness,  and  speak  comfortably 
unto  her."  ^  Here,  then,  we  learn  that  it  is  not  to  destroy  that 
Thou  bringest  us  into  the  wilderness,  but  to  speak  comfoi'tahly 
to  our  hearts.  In  the  day  of  our  prosperity,  when  we  are 
enjoying  the  pleasures  of  life,  the  tumult  about  us  is  so  great 
that  we  cannot  hear  Thy  voice ;  whereas  every  affliction  is  a 
wilderness,  in  which  solitude  and  silence  reign,  so  that  we  can 
better  understand  what  Thou  sayest,  according  as  it  is  written, 
"  Affliction  teacheth  us  to  give  heed  to  Thy  word."^  In  every 
1  I  Sam.  ii.  6.  ^  Hos.  ii.  14.  ^  Isa.  xxviii.  19 — Luther's  vers. 


30.  I  earnestly  remember  my  Son.  177 

case  it  is,  as  it  were,  a  night  to  the  soul.  Noisy  is  the  day, 
and  we  then  hear  only  the  voices  of  men ;  but  silence  comes 
with  darkness,  and  when  the  human  voices  cease,  the  voice  of 
God  begins  to  speak. 

Never,  then,  thou  faithful  God  and  Shepherd,  never  will  I 
refuse,  when  Thou  seest  fit  to  lead  me  away  from  the  green 
pastures  into  the  lonesome  wilderness,  there  to  hold  sacred 
converse  with  my  soul.  I  know  that  I  have  still  a  place  in 
Thy  heart,  according  to  Thine  own  word  :  "  Though  I  spoke 
against  my  son  Ephraim,  I  do  earnestly  remember  him  still.''  I 
know  that  Thy  son  Ephraim,  even  when  Thou  art  obliged  to 
send  him  captive  to  Babylon,  still  continues  to  be  to  Thee  a  dear 
son  and  a, pleasant  child ;  and  hence,  though  I  may  bemoan 
myself  when  thou  chastenest  me,  I  do  not  yield  to  despair. 
For  me,  too,  the  hour  shall  come  when  it  shall  be  said,  "  Re- 
frain thy  voice  from  weeping  and  thine  eyes  from  tears,  for  thy 
work  shall  be  rewarded."  Thou  art  still  the  God  of  Thy  people 
as  Thou  wert  of  old.  The  promise  to  turn  again  their  cap- 
tivity, if  they  would  but  repent,  which  Thou  madest  to 
ancient  Israel,  Thy  people  after  the  flesh,  Thou  wilt  not  break 
to  Thine  Israel  after  the  spirit.  No ;  all  the  revelations  of  Thy 
severity  as  of  Thy  loving-kindness,  which  Thou  didst  once 
vouchsafe  in  the  congregation  of  Thine  ancient  people,  will  be 
made  in  still  greater  plenitude  and  glory  in  the  midst  of  Thine 
elect  of  the  New  Testament.  Behold,  O  Lord,  my  heart  has 
been  opened  unto  Thee,  and  in  Thee  my  soul  rejoices  in  the 
midst  of  its  tribulation. 


With  heart  and  tongue  attuned,  to  Thee 
O  Lord,  a  grateful  song  I'll  raise, 

Because  inviolate  to  me, 
Thou  keep'st  the  covenant  of  Thy  grace. 

And  when  from  duty's  path  declined, 
And  lost  on  sin's  bleak  waste  I  roam, 

Thou,  the  Good  Shepherd,  dost  me  find, 
And  to  the  fold  conduct  me  home. 
M 


178  31-  Before  I  was  afflicted  I  zvent  astray. 

Or  if  in  shame  and  misery 

I  reap  of  my  self-will  the  fruit, 
Thou  dost  me  pity,  and  stand  by 

With  look  displeased,  but  still  and  mute  ; 

Until,  with  many  a  bitter  tear. 

My  folly  I  bewail,  and  then 
In  my  dark  soul,  its  gloom  to  cheer. 

Thou  shedd'st  Thy  heavenly  light  again. 


31. 

Before  31  irras  afflictctr  H  iircnt  astrag. 

Full  many  a  devil  from,  the  heart 

The  rod  of  Christ  must  drive, 
Ere  rooted,  and  in  every  part 

Well  PRUNED,  the  VINE  -will  thrive. 

Yet  doubtless  upon,  none  of  all 

The  brood  that  in  me  hide 
Its  strokes  so  oft  and  heavy  fall 
As  on  the  Devil  of  Pride. 

Psalm  cxIx.  67.  "  Before  I  was  afflicted  I  went  astray;  but 
now  have  I  kept  Thy  word." 

Dan.  iv.  37.  "I  praise  and  extol  and  honour  the  King  of 
heaven,  all  whose  works  are  truth,  and  His  ways  judg- 
ment :  and  those  that  walk  in  pride  He  is  able  to  abase." 

NOTHING  creeps  so  easily  into  the  heart  of  a  man  after 
conversion  as  pride.  No  doubt  a  heart  which  Christ 
has  once  beautified  with  His  graces,  will  never  admit  this 
devil  if  he  continue  as  ill-mannered  as  before.  In  a  house  so 
tastefully  decorated  he  must  appear  genteelly,  and  be  upon  his 
good  behaviour.  No  longer  must  pride  take  up  with  such 
paltry  things  as  money  or  lands.  It  was  not  by  pride  like  that 
that  Satan  fell.  For  this  reason,  the  devil  of  which  we  speak 
now  clothes  himself  in  white  and  affects  spiritual  things.     The 


3 1 .  Before  I  zuas  afflicted  I  luent  astray.  1 79 

man  aspires  to  eminence  in  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  claims 
consideration  on  account  of  his  gifts  and  experiences  :  regard- 
ing himself  as  a  light  of  no  common  brightness,  he  desiderates 
a  lofty  candlestick  from  which  to  emit  his  rays.  It  is  as  a 
queen  that  Pride  stalks  forth,  and  therefore  she  brings  with  her 
a  suite  of  courtiers.  If  into  the  heart  of  which  Christ  dis- 
possessed her  at  conversion  she  be  again  allowed  to  enter,  we 
may  certainly  expect  His  word  to  take  effect,  and  that  the 
unclean  spirit  which  was  cast  out,  on  finding  the  house  swept 
and  garnished,  will  return  and  bring  with  him  seven  other 
spirits  more  wicked  than  himself,  so  that  the  last  state  of  that 
man  will  be  worse  than  the  first. ^  Only  make  room  for  pride, 
and  gradually  will  envy,  selfis/mess,  malice,  and  discontent  steal 
in  along  with  it;  for,  as  Sirach  says,  '■^ Pride  is  the  beginning 
of  sin,  and  he  that  hath  it  shall  pour  out  abomination ^  -  The 
cause  of  so  miserable  an  infatuation  is  this,  that  when  con- 
verted we  really  in  some  points  are  better  than  other  men. 
For  instance,  we  may  perhaps  have  become  more  indifferent 
to  the  good  things  of  the  world ;  but  distance  from  the  earth 
is  not  necessarily  proximity  to  the  sun.  Besides,  it  is  easy  to 
delude  one's  self  into  the  supposition  that  to  be  much  occupied 
with  spiritual  things  is  to  be  spiritually  minded,  and  that  because 
our  thoughts  often  soar  on  high,  our  conversation  also  is  in 
heaven.  The  usual  consequence  is,  that  we  indulge  in  pride 
towards  the  children  of  the  world.  Their  good  qualities  are 
overlooked  and  the  word  of  the  Saviour  is  forgotten,  "  Is  thine 
eye  evil  because  I  am  good  ?  "  ^  The  eye  which  had  far  better 
be  turned  inwards  is  turned  outwards,  and  more  and  more  takes 
that  direction. 

This  kind  of  pride,  when  it  regains  the  dominion  of  a 
Christian's  heart,  scarcely  ever  fails  to  enter  into  fellowship 
with  antipathy  to  the  Cross.  But  ill  does  it  fare  with  the  soul 
when  it  begins  afresh  to  take  offence  at  that  which  is  the  sacred 
symbol  of  the  kingdom  of  God ;  and  in  an  evil  case  is  the 
Christian  who  forgets  the  many  fair  and  fragrant  flowers  which 
1  Matt.  xii.  43.  -  Ecclus.  x.  13.  3  Matt,  xx,  15. 


1 8o  31.  Befo7'e  I  was  afflicted  I  zvent  astray. 

spring  and  blossom  around  the  Cross,  and  nowhere  else.  He 
then  takes  umbrage,  if  he  be  made  so  much  as  to  feel  the  rod 
of  the  heavenly  Father,  though  St  Peter  exhorts,  "  Beloved, 
think  it  not  strange  concerning  the  fiery  trial  which  is  to  try 
you."i  He  will  have  7?iiracks  wrought  rather  than  that  he 
should  receive  one  of  those  bloody  marks  which  yet  all  the 
saints  of  God  have  borne.  Poor  man  !  If  the  Saviour  whom 
thou  lovest,  and  who  is  the  Son  of  God,  wore  a  crown  of 
thorns,  what  right  hast  thou  to  adorn  thy  head  with  a  chaplet 
of  roses  ? 

Of  all  the  suckers  on  His  vine  there  are  none  which  the 
heavenly  Husbandman  endeavours  with  so  intent  an  aim  to 
prune  away  as  those  of  pride,  for  He  knows  that  into  them  the 
whole  strength  of  the  stock  is  most  apt  to  run,  wasting  the 
generous  sap,  and  thereby  marring  the  goodly  fruit.  And  hence 
the  more  the  wilful  heart  rebels  under  the  first  little  cross,  and 
attempts  to  shake  it  off,  the  sooner  does  the  Lord  impose  a 
seco7id  and  then  a  third,  until  the  lesson  of  submission  has  been 
learned.  Under  this  discipline  we  are  at  first  very  blind,  and 
cannot  conceive  what  it  means ;  nay,  we  may  be  so  bold  as, 
like  Job,  to  expostulate  with  God  and  say,  "  Do  not  condemn 
me  \  show  me  wherefore  Thou  contendest  with  me."  ^  Think 
not,  however,  that  the  heavenly  Husbandman  will  falter  in  His 
purpose.  Oh  no  !  Well  did  He  know  by  what  means  to  con- 
strain a  Job,  who  had  been  unreasonably  zealous  to  confess, 
"  I  abhor  myself,  and  repent  in  dust  and  ashes."  ^  And  no 
less  to  abase  a  Nebuchadnezzar  who  had  insulted  Him  and 
said,  "  Is  not  this  great  Babylon  that  I  have  built  for  the  house 
of  the  kingdom,  and  for  the  honour  of  my  majesty?" — forcing 
him  to  bless  the  Most  High,  and  to  praise  and  honour  Him 
that  liveth  for  ever.  But  do  not  for  that  reason  give  way  to 
apprehension,  or  think  that  He  will  now  frown  upon  thee  in 
His  anger.  No,  dear  reader — after  having  thoroughly  buffeted 
a  man,  how  gracious  He  becomes,  and  how  liberally  does  He 
pour  forth  His  gifts  ! 

1  I  Peter,  iv.  12.  ^Job,  x.  2.  ^  Job,  xlii.  6. 


3 1 .  Before  I  was  afflicted  I  went  astray.  1 8 1 

It  is  a  beautiful  rule  which  a  pious  servant  of  God  has  given 
us  in  the  following  words  : — 

"  If  sickness,  want,  or  dire  mischance 
Are  down  upon  thee  poured. 
Fall  on  thy  knees,  and  ask  at  once. 
What  means  Thy  message,  Lord  ? 

And  if,  my  child,  thou  humbly  take 

His  answer  to  thy  heart, 
Be  sure  that  He  will  quickly  make 

Thy  troubles  all  depart." 

If  the  soul  in  such  a  case  inquires  uprightly,  it  will  not  tarry 
long  for  an  answer.  An  answer  is  generally  given,  and  comes 
in  clear  and  intelligible  terms.  And  what  is  its  drift  ?  In  nine 
cases  out  of  ten  it  is  at  some  devil  of  pride  which  has  crept 
into  the  heart  that  the  rod  of  God  has  been  aimed. 

I  can  say  with  truth  that  many  a  sick-bed  has  been  to  me 
as  a  diet  of  worship,  and  many  a  sick-chamber  as  a  holy 
temple.  As  I  lay  in  silence  and  inquired  of  the  Lord,  What 
dost  Thou  say?  I  obtained  an  answer,  and  always  such  an 
one  as  showed  that,  however  terrible  His  frowns,  there  was 
a  loving  heart  concealed  behind.  Usually  it  was  some  vain 
imagination,  some  high  thought,  which  the  heavenly  Husband- 
man had  in  His  eye ;  and  so  I  was  enabled  to  hold  a  sacred 
colloquy  with  Him,  and  my  soul  was  at  peace.  In  truth  a  sick- 
bed is  generally  the  place  where  the  blessing  of  the  Christian 
faith  becomes  specially  manifest.  While  in  the  heart  of  a  child 
of  the  world  sickness  breeds  obstinacy,  pride,  and  discontent, 
and  so  eventually,  when  it  has  passed  away,  leaves  no  fruit, 
the  contrary  happens  with  the  child  of  God.  In  his  hours  of 
languishing  the  mysteries  of  God's  love  and  the  unsearchable 
depths  of  His  wisdom  are  properly  disclosed.  Such  a  silent 
sick-room  sets  a  man  once  more  loose  from  the  world  and  its 
attachments,  and  from  all  courtship  of  human  favour  and 
human  praise,  and  sends  him  back  into  life  with  a  new  and 
single  eye. 

Alas  !  I  am  conscious  to  myself  how  subtly  and  deceitfully 


1 82         32.  Of  His  Fulness  have  we  all  received. 

self-love  can  creep  back  into  a  heart  which  has  been  sanctified 
by  faith ;  therefore  it  is  that  I  fervently  pray,  "Keep  me  in  safety, 
O  Lord,  and  let  not  my  last  state  be  worse  than  my  first.  Be- 
hold, I  myself  implore  of  Thee  to  humble  me.  That  is  for 
Thee  an  easy  task.  Let  me  become  like  Nebuchadnezzar,  an 
object  of  scorn  and  insult  to  all  mankind,  rather  than  fall  into 
pride,  and  thereby  lose  Thee,  who  art  my  dearest  portion.  For 
hast  Thou  not  declared  that  Thou  dwellest  with  those  only 
who  are  of  a  humble  and  a  contrite  heart  ?  " 

How  stealthily  proud  self  contrives  its  light  and  gifts  to  vaunt  ! 

The  Lord  we  thank  and  praise  so  long  as  He  does  what  we  want. 

His  ways,  when  they  are  straight  and  smooth,  all  just  and  right  we  call, 

And  only  murmur  and  complain  when  hardships  on  us  fall. 

But,  Lord,  Thou  canst  abase  the  proud  :  Thou  from  his  throne  on  high 

Didst  thrust  the  King  of  Babel  down  among  the  brutes  to  lie. 

Then  did  he  own  Thee  God  alone,  and,  humbled  in  the  dust. 

Confessed  that  all  Thy  works  were  truth,  and  all  Thy  ways  were  just. 


32. 

(©f  flis  ifulness  fja&e  Ine  all  receibEti. 

What  7nea7is  this  throbbmg  at  my  heart. 

So  blissful  and  so  new  f 
As  if  there  were  some  open  part, 

And  heaven  were  breaking  through. 
'  Tis  eveti  so  ;  close  not  the  door, 
And  a  whole  ocean  in  will  pour. 

John,  i.  16.     "And  of  His  fulness  have  all  we  received,  and 

grace  for  grace." 
Gal.  ii.  20.     "I  live;  yet  not  I,  but  Christ  liveth  in  me: 

and  the  life  which  I  now  live  in  the  flesh,  I  live  by  the 

faith  of  the  Son  of  God,  who  loved  me,  and  gave  Himself 

for  me." 
Eph.  ii.  8,  9.     "  By  grace  are  ye  saved  through  faith ;  and 


I 


32.  Of  His  Fulness  have  we  all  7'eceived.         183 

that  not  of  yourselves ;  it  is  the  gift  of  God  :  not  of  works, 
lest  any  man  should  boast." 

BEFORE  I  had  learned  the  nature  of  grace,  I  paused  at  this 
saying  of  the  apostle,  "  I  live,  yet  not  I,  but  Christ 
liveth  in  me ; "  and  I  asked  myself,  What  strange  fancy  of  the 
Jewish  Rabbi  is  this  ?  Does  he  really  imagine  that  the  Messias, 
who  has  been  exalted  to  heaven,  is  now  living  in  him  ?  Yet 
true  it  is,  that  He  who  ascended  up  on  high,  and  sitteth  on 
the  right  hand  of  the  Father,  did  likewise  continue  to  abide 
with  His  followers  upon  earth,  and  has  become  the  life  of  their 
life.  Nor  is  this  merely,  as  when  we  say  to  a  friend,  I  still 
have  thee  in  my  heart — meaning  thereby,  /;/  my  remembrmice ; 
for  if  it  were  so,  how  could  the  Saviour  have  told  His  disciples, 
"I  go  away,  and  come  again  unto  you"?  Or  how  could  He 
have  prayed  "  that  they  all  may  be  one ;  as  Thou,  Father,  art 
in  me,  and  I  in  Thee,  that  they  also  may  be  one  in  us ;  that 
the  world  may  believe  that  Thou  hast  sent  me ;  and  the  glory 
which  Thou  gavest  me  I  have  given  them,  that  they  may  he  one, 
even  as  we  are  Of le''^  1^  Could  He  have  said,  ''Where  two  or 
three  are  met  together  in  my  name,  there  am  I  in  the  midst  of 
them,"  if  the  phrase  "  in  my  name "  signified  nothing  more 
than  in  renmnbrance  of  me  ?  No  doubt,  to  remember  the  Lord 
is  to  stretch  out  a  hand  towards  Him.  But  the  Lord  must^// 
it.  And  this  is  done  when,  along  with  the  Father,  He  takes 
up  His  abode  in  His  children ;  when  in  His  glorified  humanity 
He  draws  near  to  the  souls  which  seek  Him;  and,  finally, 
when  in  the  celebration  of  the  holy  sacrament  He  makes  them 
partake  of  and  feed  upon  Him. 

Moreover,  neither  does  this  oneness  with  the  Lord  consist 
in  thinking  in  accordance,  or,  in  other  words,  being  of  one  mind, 
with  Him.  That  was  not  the  way  in  which  He  Himself  was 
one  with  the  Father  j  and  yet  He  said,  "  That  they  may  be 
one,  even  as  We  are  one."  No ;  the  relation  may  rather  be 
thus  expressed  : — 

^  John,  xvii,  21,  22. 


184         32.  Of  His  Fulness  have  we  all  received. 

My  Lord,  He  is  the  light,  and  I 

The  ray  which  forth  He  sends  ; 
How  close  the  union,  then,  in  which 

Each  with  the  other  blends  ! 

This,  no  doubt,  is  a  matter  which  ought  not  to  be  Hghtly 
uttered.  We  should  speak  of  it  with  our  face  in  the  dust.  It 
is  the  deepest  mystery  of  condescension.  The  apostle  ex- 
presses it  in  language  which,  had  he  not  put  it  into  our  mouth, 
none  of  us  but  must  have  trembled  to  repeat.  He  says,  ''  We 
are  members  of  His  body,  of  His  fesh,  and  of  His  bones  ;  "  ^  and 
these  are  words  which  penetrate  to  the  very  marrow.  We  feel 
that  there  is  in  them  a  mystery — a  thing  which,  to  the  world, 
cannot  but  appear  mere  foolishness,  just  because  it  is  so  pro- 
found a  wisdom  in  the  sight  of  God.  Oh,  how  high  must  have 
been  the  esteem  of  the  Eternal  for  man,  although  so  poor  a 
creature,  seeing  that  He  did  not  disdain  to  unite  him  in  mar- 
riage with  His  only-begotten  Son !  His  purpose  to  do  this  He 
announced  so  early  as  in  the  days  of  the  prophets  ;  for  hear  His 
words  by  the  mouth  of  Hosea  :  "  I  will  betroth  thee  unto  me 
for  ever ;  yea,  I  will  betroth  thee  unto  me  in  righteousness,  and 
in  judgment,  and  in  loving-kindness,  and  in  mercies."  ^  If, 
however,  the  Lord  merge  Himself  so  thoroughly  into  those  who 
are  His,  as  that  He  becomes  our  flesh  and  blood,  how  can  we 
possibly  present  Him  with  anything  of  our  own  ?  All  is,  then, 
merely  effused  out  of  us,  just  as  it  had  previously  been  infused 
from  Him  into  us.     According  to  the  rhyme — 

The  whole  works  of  the  Church  by  night  and  day, 
The  action  of  her  living  Head  display. 

He  has  exalted  us  to  honour,  and  made  us  kings  and  priests 
unto  God  and  His  Father.  ^  But  as  the  Word  declares,  "  The 
four-and-twenty  elders^  cast  their  crowns  before  the  throne,  and 
say.  Lord,  Thou  art  worthy  to  receive  glory,  honour,   and 

1  Eph.  V,  30.  ^  Hosea,  ii.  19.  ^  Rev.  i.  6. 

4  The  Old  Testament  priests  were  divided  into  twenty-four  classes,  and  the 
four-and-twenty  elders  here  mentioned  are  their  antitype,  and  represent  the 
whole  priestly  generation  of  Christians. 


32.  Of  His  Ftdness  have  we  all  received.         185 

power."  1  Who  can  comprehend  the  full  depth  of  this  hom- 
age, that  does  not  know  the  mystery  of  the  Lord's  marriage 
with  the  souls  intrusted  to  His  care  ?  Among  all  who  have 
ever  borne  His  name  in  genuine  faith,  there  is  not  one  who 
would  not  feel  it  to  be  blessed?iess  to  cast  his  crown  in  the  same 
way  before  the  throne  ;  and  this  he  would  do,  not  from  a  sense 
of  duty,  but  prompted  by  the  inward  exigence  of  his  soul.  It 
would  be  his  felicity ;  and  to  those  who  are  members  of  His 
flesh  and  of  His  bones  it  cannot  possibly  be  otherwise. 

Hence,  also,  the  clearer  the  Christian's  recognition  of  his 
union  with  the  Lord,  the  more  freely  can  he  speak  of  what  the 
Lord  has  enabled  him  to  accomplish,  be  the  things  ever  so 
great. 

'Twas  grace  that  did  it  all,  he  says, 
And  claims  not  for  himself  the  praise. 

He  who  still  hesitates  to  speak  of  his  own  works,  shows  there- 
by that  in  what  he  does  he  thinks  too  much  about  himself; 
whereas  the  man  who  is  firmly  rooted  in  the  article  of  grace, 
and  who  constantly  bears  about  with  him  the  consciousness  of 
being  one  of  the  Lord's  members,  relates  only  the  doings  of  the 
Z^r^when  he  is  relating  his  own.  Would  a  child  have  any 
sense  of  self-conceit  when  telling  with  a  light  heart  all  the  fine 
things  which  he  had  purchased  with  the  money  given  him  by 
his  father?  There  is  a  passage  in  which  the  Apostle  Paul 
avers,  "  I  would  not  dare  to  speak  of  any  of  those  things,  if 
Christ  had  not  wrought  them  by  me,  to  make  the  Gentiles 
obedient  by  word  and  deed."  ^  He  did  not  hesitate,  as  many 
scrupulous  people  do,  to  say  great  things  of  himself,  and 
bluntly  avers,  "  /  laboured  more  abundantly  than  they  all"  ^ 
To  this,  however,  he  appends  in  plain  terms,  "  Yet  not  /,  but 
the  grace  of  God  that  was  ivith  me.''  And  no  doubt  upon  every 
occasion  of  his  boasting  the  same  idea  was  present  to  his  mind. 
The  rule,  however,  is,  that  the  soul  does  not  usually  think 
much  of  its  own  work,  unless  it  happen  that  some  one  calls  it 

^  Rev.  iv.  10,  II.  2  Rom.  xv.  i8 — Luther's  vers.  3  i  Cor.  xv.  lo. 


1 86         32.  Of  His  Fulness  have  we  all  received. 

to  account,  or  refuses  to-  pay  due  honour  to  the  work  of  God 
7vithin  us. 

The  soul  by  grace  renewed  performs  her  work, 
And  seldom  wastes  a  thought  on  it  when  done  ; 
Or  if  a  spark  in  the  vain  bosom  lurk 
Of  self-approval  for  some  conquest  won, 
Anon  comes  holy  shame,  and  points  the  eye 
To  faults  so  many,  but  unseen  before. 
That  to  forget  ourselves  is  all  we  try, 
And  for  a  Saviour's  pity  God  implore. 

It  was  in  this  way  that  the  apostle  acted.  He  would  fain 
have  forgotten  what  he  himself  had  done;  but  when  others 
wished  to  forget  what  the  Lord  had  done  by  him,  he  then  stood 
on  his  defence.  In  such  a  case  he  could  even  boast^  as  we 
read  of  his  doing  in  the  Second  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians, 
where,  "  seeing,"  he  says,  ''  that  many  glory  after  the  flesh,  I 
will  glory  also."^  "  I  am  become  a  fool  in  glorying  ;  ye  have 
compelled  vat,  for  I  ought  to  have  been  connnended  of  you^  for  i?t 
nothing  am  I  behind  the  very  chief  est  apostles^  though  I  be 
nothing."  ^  How  great  a  hero  in  humility  must  the  apostle 
already  have  become  !  for  whereas  to  other  children  of  Adam 
it  is  so  sweet  a  gratification  to  have  the  opportunity  of  pouring 
out  their  own  praise,  this  was  done  by  him  with  pain  and 
great  reluctance,  and  only  from  compulsion.  "Ye  have  com- 
pelled me,"  he  says.  Elsewhere,  too,  we  find  him  averring, 
"  That  which  I  speak,  I  speak  it  not  after  the  Lord,  but  as  it 
were  foolishly."  And,  "  I  say  again,  Let  no  man  think  me  a 
fool."  Here  we  see  how  it  is  possible  to  boast  of  one's  self 
without  in  the  least  encroaching  upon  the  rights  of  the  Lord, 
to  whom  alone  all  glory  pertains.  Yet,  notwithstanding,  the 
humble-minded  apostle  makes  no  attempt  to  hide  that  he  had 
been  assailed  by  the  old  man  with  the  temptation  to  self- 
praise,  just  as  we  all  have  been  ;  and  he  speaks  to  the  Corin- 

1  2  Cor.  xi.  18. 

2  Spoken  in  derision,  as  at  chap,  xi,  5,  and  not  of  his  fellow-apostles,  but  of 
the  self-enamoured  persons  who  assumed  the  apostolical  office. 

3  2  Cor.  xii.  II. 


^2.  Of  His  Fulness  have  we  all  received.         187 

thians  openly  of  the  thorn  in  the  flesh  which  was  given  to  him, 
lest  he  should  be  exalted  above  measure  through  the  abundajice  of 
the  revelatio7isr  ^  That  thorn  effectually  performed  its  ap- 
pointed work  j  for  what  can  match  the  affectionate  humility 
with  which  in  his  Epistles  the  apostle  subordinates  himself  to 
all  men,  and,  as  being  the  least  among  them,  is  ready  to  serve 
them  all  ?  There  is  only  one  exception.  It  is  that  of  any 
attempt,  while  contemning  Paul,  to  contemn  at  the  same  time 
the  Master  by  whom  he  had  been  made  so  high  and  distin- 
guished a  member  of  His  body.  In  that  case,  but  in  no 
other,  does  he  stand  up,  and  will  suffer  no  despite  to  be  done 
to  that  Paul  in  whom  Christ  the  Lord  had  taken  up  His  abode. 
How  blessed  a  sight  does  the  Christian  present  who  stands 
in  the  garden  of  the  Lord,  hke  a  tree  bending  under  the 
weight  of  its  fruit,  and  yet  in  childlike  simplicity  remaining 
wholly  unconscious  of  the  fact !  No  :  in  place  of  taking  credit 
for  this  to  ourselves,  our  duty  is  to  be  continually  praising 
Him,  who  of  His  good  pleasure  has  made  us  vessels  of  His 
mercy.  In  every  work  of  love  which  seems  to  prosper  in  my 
hands,  I  always  appear  to  myself  merely  like  the  gardener  who 
presents  his  master  with  a  nosegay  gathered  from  his  own 
parterre.  The  master,  if  pleased  to  accept  it,  does  so  purely 
from  grace ;  for  he  might  just  as  well  dismiss  me  with  my  gift, 
and  even  deprive  me  of  the  office  in  which  I  so  greatly 
delight. 

The  life  of  the  collective  body  of  the  children  of  God 
through  all  centuries  is,  like  my  own,  really  nothing  else  but  a 
perpetual  implantation  of  the  Divine  Son  into  the  human  race, 
in  order  that  all  may  "  grow  up  into  Him  in  all  things,  which 
is  the  Head,  even  Christ,"  and  so  "  come  unto  a  perfect  man, 
unto  the  measure  of  the  stature  of  the  fulness  of  Christ."  ^ 
That  stature,  however,  even  a  Paul  is  conscious  that  he  has 
not  yet  reached;  but  as  he  says,  "Not  as  though  I  had 
already  attained,  either  were  already  perfect :  but  I  follow  after, 
if  that  I  may  apprehend  that  for  which  I  also  am  apprehended 

1  2  Cor.  xii.  7.  2  Eph^  jy^  j^. 


1 88         32.  Of  His  Fulness  have  we  all  received. 

of  Christ  Jesus."  ^  For  this  reason  he  Ukewise  avers,  "  The 
life  which  I  now  Hve  in  the  flesh,  I  hve  by  iho.  faith  of  the  Son 
of  God,  who  loved  me  and  gave  Himself  for  me  :"  and  what 
he  means  is  this :  While  I  live  in  the  flesh,  Christ  my  Lord 
cannot  attain  to  perfect  life  within  me  j  and  therefore  I  mean- 
while comfort  myself  in  Him,  and  in  faith  embrace  Him,  as 
the  merciful  High  Priest  who  gave  Himself  for  me.  And  for 
a  weak  beginner  like  me  there  is  consolation  in  this  text.  I 
am  labouring  to  prepare  a  dwelling-place  for  Christ  the  Lord 
in  my  heart,  in  order  to  entertain  Him  there  as  a  beloved 
guest,  ever  longer  and  longer,  and  ever  in  a  more  perfect  way. 
But  well  do  I  know  that  I  only  follow  after  Him,  and  for  that 
reason  I  also  will  take  as  the  source  of  my  comfort,  and  the 
foundation  of  my  trust,  Christ  for  me,  my  Advocate  with  the 
Father,  so  long  as  Christ  /;/  me  has  not  been  yet  brought  fully 
to  birth. 

O  my  soul,  from  His  high  and  heavenly  seat  it  is  in  thy 
power  to  bring  Him  down  !  Only  show  Him  that  thy  holiest 
desire  is  to  see  His  face.  Surrender  wholly  to  Him  thy 
thoughts  and  thy  will,  ajid  be  filled  with  His  fulness. 

Listen,  my  soul,  mark  what  I  say, — 

Go,  if  the  Lord  command  ; 
And  when  He  draws  thee,  speed  thy  way ; 

And  where  He  stops  thee,  stand. 

And  still  let  Him  before  thee  go. 

Behind  Him  still  go  thou  ; 
For  safer  rule  this  earth  below 

In  vain  you'll  search,  I  trow. 


1  Philip,  iii.  12. 


33-  Draw  nigh  to  God.  189 

33. 

29raiH  ni^  to  @ot». 

So  precious  ifi  God's  sight  is  thy  free  will, 
That  not  even  thy  soul's  year?iing  will  He  still, 

Save  at  thine  own  request. 
Kings  are  not  served  by  slaves — at  His  right  hand 
None  but  the  free  are  privileged  to  stand, 

And  wait  on  His  behest. 

Jer.  XV.  19.  "Thus  saith  the  Lord,  If  thou  return,  then  will 
I  bring  thee  again,  and  thou  shalt  stand  before  me." 

Prov.  viii.  17.  "I  love  them  that  love  me;  and  those  that 
seek  me  early  shall  find  me." 

Matt.  vii.  7.  "  Seek,  and  ye  shall  find." 

James,  iv.  8.  "  Draw  nigh  to  God,  and  He  will  draw  nigh 
to  you." 

YES,  O  Heavenly  Love,  they  who  would  find  must  seek 
Thee.  In  mercy  Thou  dost  come  to  meet  us,  and 
unveilest  Thy  beauty,  which  excels  all  that  is  beautiful  upon 
earth.  Upon  a  thousand  paths  hast  Thou  gone  forth  after  Thy 
children  of  the  human  race,  in  order  to  put  it  into  their  power 
to  find  Thee ;  and  yet  Thou  art  a  hidden  God.  Our  passions 
have  blinded  our  eyes,  so  that  we  pass  Thee  by  a  thousand 
times,  and  know  not  who  Thou  art.  That  is  the  reason  why 
Thy  creature  needs  to  seek  Thee.  For  myself,  I  sought  Thee 
long  before  Thou  wert  known  to  me.  I  took  something  else 
for  Thee,  and  stretched  out  my  hand,  alas  !  after  how  many 
of  the  good  things  which  perish  ;  and  with  hopes  again  and 
again  disappointed,  I  was  at  last  compelled  to  say,  "  This  is 
not  He  whom  my  soul  seeketh  ;  I  charge  you,  O  daughters  of 
Jerusalem,  if  ye  find  my  Beloved,  that  ye  tell  Him  I  am  sick 
of  love."  In  certain  kinds  of  sickness,  however,  the  patient 
is  directed  by  an  inward  instinct  to  the  medicine  that  can  cure 


IQO  33.  Draw  nigh  to  God. 

him ;  and  it  is  even  so  with  the  sickness  of  the  soul.  When 
all  the  medicine  that  perishable  blessings  can  supply  prove 
unavailing  to  heal  its  wounds,  Thou  dost  then  withdraw  the 
veil  which  hides  Thy  face,  and  say,  "  I  am  the  Lord,  who 
healeth  thee."  ^  O  what  a  proof  of  the  nobility  of  man,  that 
his  soul  can  find  no  rest  in  the  bosom  of  universal  nature,  and 
yearns  for  a  good  which  far  transcends  it  ! 

All,  therefore,  is  grace,  even  although  Thy  creatures  cannot 
find  Thee  otherwise  than  by  their  own  seeking.  Yes ;  it  is 
grace  in  Thee  that  Thou  condescendest  to  be  found,  and  that 
Thou  then  disclosest  a  loveliness  so  unspeakably  attractive 
that  the  soul  cannot  help  clinging  to  Thy  knees,  and  exclaim- 
ing, "//  is  good  to  be  here  f"  It  is  grace  in  Thee  to  have  im- 
planted in  our  hearts  so  deep  a  longing,  and  given  to  men  so 
lofty  a  soul,  that  the  very  fairest  earthly  objects  cannot  satisfy 
it  without  Thyself  But  just  because  Thou  hast  endowed  us 
with  a  spirit  which  is  the  likeness  of  Thine  own,  it  is  Thy 
pleasure  that  we  should  embrace  Thee  of  our  own  free  will, 
and  be  not  merely  vessels,  but  foimtains  of  Thy  grace.  Thy 
desire  was  to  be  served  by  spirits,  and  therefore,  that  they 
should  freely  seek  Thee,  and  voluntarily  embrace  the  life  which 
Thou  dost  offer.  So  greatly  wert  Thou  set  upon  being  loved 
without  constraint,  by  rational  beings  made  after  Thine  image, 
that  Thou  wert  pleased  to  permit  them  to  transgress,  in  order 
that,  at  least  by  stumbling,  if  not  otherwise,  they  might  learn 
to  walk.  Thou  hast  given  to  the  bodily  eye  the  power  of 
shutting  and  of  opening  itself  to  the  light  of  the  material  sun ; 
and  Thou  hast  done  the  same  to  the  eye  of  the  spirit.  For 
that  reason  it  is  that  the  work  of  our  salvation  can  no  longer 
be  accomplished  by  Thee  alone.  In  the  exercise  of  pure 
grace,  and  possessing,  as  Thou  dost,  the  power  to  do  all  things, 
Thou  hast  constituted  us  fellow-labourers  with  Thee''^  in  the 
task,  so  that  now  we  say, — 

The  work  needs  two  ;  God  will  not  without  me. 
Nor  without  God  can  I  my  soul  from  death  set  free. 

1  Exod.  XV.  26.  2  I  Cor.  iii.  9. 


33-  Draw  nigh  to  God.  191 

Or,  as  St  Augustine  affirms,  "  God  chose  to  create  me  without 
my  aid,  but  without  my  aid  He  does  not  choose  to  create  me 
again."  But  Thy  very  nature  is  love ;  and  therefore,  in  lov- 
ing, Thou  hast  always  been  the  first  to  begin,  and  still  Thou 
doest  it  every  day,  for 

Hadst  Thou  not  set  on  us  Thy  heart, 
We  ne'er  had  sought  Thee  on  our  part. 

The  initiative  has  always  been  on  Thy  side.  It  is  involved 
in  the  decree,  ^^  Let  us  make  man  after  our  own  image  f^  for 
by  making  men  after  Thine  own  image.  Thou  hast  made  them 
free  spirits,  as  Thou  Thyself  art  a  Spirit,  and  hast  implanted  in 
their  hearts  an  inextinguishable  longing  which  impels  them 
towards  Thee.  Yes;  at  our  creation  Thou  didst  so  closely 
link  and  betroth  Thyself  to  us,  that  a  human  soul  separated 
from  Thee  must  needs  wander  about  upon  the  earth,  like  a 
bride  bereft  of  her  bridegroom,  experiencing  a  disquiet  and  a 
longing  which  has  its  source  in  Thee,  and  leads  back  to  Thee 
again.  In  fact,  is  not  the  human  soul  the  bride  of  the  Song 
of  Solomon,  who,  having  lost  her  Beloved,  goeth  about  in  the 
streets  and  the  broad  ways  of  the  city  until  she  has  found 
Him  ?  ^  Yes,  O  Thou  whose  nature  is  love,  it  has  still  been 
Thine  to  begin.  For  when  in  their  blindness  the  sons  of  men 
discerned  Thee  not  beneath  the  veil  of  nature.  Thou  didst  ap- 
pear among  them  in  the  person  of  Him  who  is  Thine  image, 
that  thus  they  might  be  able  to  embrace  Thee.  Long  before 
I  was  capable  of  thought  Thou  didst  think  of  me ;  and  long 
before  I  knew  what  love  was,  I  was  the  object  of  Thy  love. 

Thou  preservest  Thy  creatures  by  daily  creating  and  giving 
them  life  and  welfare  afresh ;  and  Thou  doest  the  same  with 
Thy  spiritual  creation,  the  regenerate  man.  We  have  not  yet 
become^  but  are  only  from  day  to  day  becoming,  Christians.  And 
so  every  day  dost  Thou  commence  Thy  work  within  us  by 
those  gentle  stirrings  which  come  from  the  heavenly  Father, 
and  draw  us  to  the  Son,  who  then  shows  us  by  whom  we  were 
drawn.  Thou  stationest  Thy  preachers  everywhere-:-in  the 
1  Song  of  Sol,  iii.  1-4 ;  v.  6-8. 


192  33-  Draw  nigh  to  God. 

material  creation,  in  the  Holy  Scriptures,  in  the  Church  of 
Christ — and  provokest  us  to  love  Thee  in  ways  without  end. 
And  hence,  when  Thy  children  seek  Thee  for  the  sake  of  Thy 
gifts,  they  but  fulfil  the  saying  of  Scripture,  that  ^^  Whosoever 
hath,  to  hwi  shall  be  given,  and  he  shall  have  more  abundantly.'' 
We  must  already  possess  some  gift  of  Thine  before  we  can 
receive  Thy  other  gifts ;  but  who  is  there  who  has  not  already 
received  some  gift  from  Thee  ? 

Thou  encouragest  us  by  Thy  Word,  saying,  "Work  out  your 
own  salvation  with  fear  and  trembling,  for  it  is  God  who  work- 
eth  in  you  both  to  will  and  to  do  of  His  good  pleasure."  ^ 
How  wonderfully  in  this  text  hast  Thou  interwoven  Thy  work 
with  ours  !  With  so  holy  earnestness  dost  Thou  enjoin  us  to 
work  out  our  own  salvation,  that  we  expect  nothing  else  than 
to  be  told  that  the  power  both  to  will  and  to  do  it  is  in  our 
own  hand.  But  no ;  rather  dost  Thou  incite  us  to  work  by 
the  thought  that  both  our  willing  and  doing  proceed  from 
Thee.  And  in  this,  O  Heavenly  Wisdom,  I  understand  Thy 
purpose.  Thy  desire  is,  to  represent  as  gifts  of  Thine,  and  to 
give  a  sacred  character  to,  the  secret  impulses  and  aspirations 
of  our  nature,  which  begin  to  stir  within  us  simultaneously 
with  the  light  that  falls  upon  our  bodily  eye,  in  order  that, 
looking  upon  them  as  the  messengers  of  a  great  King  who 
seeks  an  entrance  into  our  hearts,  we  may  never  repel  a  single 
one  of  them,  but,  without  excuse  or  evasion,  may  go  where 
they  urge,  and  stand  where  they  stop  us.  Yes ;  that  is  what 
Thou  meanest  to  tell  us  by  Thy  apostle,  and  it  is  a  sacred 
truth.  O  how  much  holier  men  would  be  if  they  would  but 
receive  with  fear  and  trembling  the  yearnings  and  impulses  in 
their  bosoms,  as  if  these  were  the  heralds  of  a  mighty  monarch 
who  brings  a  blessing  with  Him  where  He  is  welcomed,  but 
where  He  is  repulsed  leaves  behind  Him  a  curse  !  The  long- 
ing of  a  human  soul  after  Thee  is  Thy  boon ;  and  when  a 
mortal  spirit  yearns  for  God,  it  is  a  proof  that  God  has  already 
yearned  for  it.     Even  an  Eastern  poet  could  say, 

1  Philip,  ii.  12,  13. 


33-  Drazv  nigh  to  God,  193 

Each  ''Lord,  appear,"  thy  Hps  pronounce,  contains  My  ''Here  am  /" — 

A  special  messenger  I  send,  veiled  in  thine  every  sigh  ; 

Thy  love  is  but  a  girdle  of  the  love  /  bear  to  thee— 

And  sleeping  in  thy  ' '  Come,  O  Lord, "  there  lies  ' '  Here,  son, "  from  Me. 

Can  any  one  who  has  become  aware  of  this  do  otherwise  than 
yield  with  fear  and  trembHng  to  every  such  incitement?  and 
yet,  alas  !  we  may  and  do  repel,  and  when  they  are  announced, 
dismiss  them  with  such  paltry  excuses.  It  is  possible  for  Thee 
to  apprehend  a  human  being,  and  yet  for  him  to  make  his  es- 
cape from  Thy  grasp.  If  it  were  not  so,  why  did  the  Saviour 
weep  over  Jerusalem  ?  why  did  He  say,  "  How  often  would  I 
have  gathered  thy  children  together,  and  ye  would  not ! "  ^ 

For  myself,  with  holy  fear  and  trembling,  I  will  listen  to 
every  word  which  Thou  addressest  to  my  soul,  and  yield  to 
every  incitement  by  which  Thou  attractest  me  to  Thyself. 
Thy  apostle  says,  and  I  appropriate  his  words,  "  I  follow  after, 
if  that  I  may  apprehend  that  for  which  also  I  a7n  apprehended 
of  Christ  Jesus."  2  I  will  seek  Thee,  Uke  the  bride,  in  all 
streets  and  broad  ways,  but  chiefly  in  those  places  where 
Thou  hast  promised  to  be  present — in  the  assembly  of  the 
saints,  in  the  silent  closet,  in  prayer,  in  the  preaching  of  the 
Word,  and  in  the  Holy  Sacrament.  I  will  rise  up  early  and 
dismiss  slumber  from  mine  eyes ;  at  night  I  will  not  lay  me 
down  upon  my  bed  until  I  can  exult  in  the  assurance  that 
Thou  art  wholly  mine. 

And  if,  dear  Master,  I  am  at  any  time  conscious  that  Thou 
art  absent  from  me,  I  will  not  cast  upon  Thee  the  blame,  but 
rather  take  it  to  myself.  I  will  not  ask  of  Thee,  Why  dost 
Thou  deny  me  Thy  presence  ?  but  I  will  ask  myself.  Why  did 
I  not  more  earnestly  sue  for  it  ?  Thou  hast  given  us  a  promise 
in  Thy  Word,  saying,  "  Draw  fiigh  to  God,  and  He  will  draw 
7iigh  to  your  And  therefore,  when  I  do  not  taste  the  sweet- 
ness of  Thy  presence,  ought  I  not  to  look  upon  it  as  a  sure 
sign  that  I  have  not  drawn  nigh  to  Thee,  or  have  not  sought 
Thee  where  Thou  art  willing  to  let  Thyself  be  found  ?  Thou 
1  Luke,  xiii.  34;  xix.  41.  2  philip.  iii.  12. 

N 


194  33-  Draw  nigh  to  God. 

hast  plainly  told  us  where  Thou  wilt  give  our  souls  an  inter- 
view j  and  if  I  do  not  attend  at  the  appointed  place,  the  fault 
is  my  own.  If,  however,  I  listen  to  Thy  Word,  and,  drawn 
by  the  attractive  power  of  Thy  grace,  wait  upon  Thee  at  the 
place  assigned,  and  if  Thou  there  meet  and  hold  intercourse 
with  me,  so  that  I  can  affirm,  "  Now  He  is  mine,  and  I  am 
His,"  ought  I  in  such  circumstances  to  say  that  this  is  my 
desert  "i  O  tell  me,  when  the  hungry  man  stretches  out  his 
hand  and  receives  the  bread  offered  by  his  benefactor,  ought 
he  to  say  that  it  is  his  desert  that  his  hunger  has  been  ap- 
peased ?  No.  It  would  indeed  be  his  folly  and  his  fault  were 
he  to  reject  the  bread,  and  it  is  wisdom  to  accept  it.  But  as 
for  desert^  that  is  not  the  right  word.  In  the  spiritual  case 
there  is  even  a  greater  difference.  For  didst  not  Thou  implant 
in  my  soul  the  very  capacity  of  hungering  after  Thee?  Is  it 
not  to  Thee  that  it  owes  the  power  of  receiving  the  Holy 
Spirit,  and  holding  fellowship  with  Him  when  He  comes  to 
enlighten  and  sanctify  ?  And  if,  moreover,  in  loving-kindness, 
patience,  and  long-suffering.  Thou  bringest  to  us  upon  all  our 
ways  this  spiritual  food,  and,  though  often  dismissed,  still 
returnest  with  it  again,  how  can  I  say  that  it  is  my  desei't  if  I 
be  filled?  No ;  there  is  in  this  honour^  dignity^  and  blessedness, 
but  no  desert  of  mine. 

Soul. 
Dear  Lord,  Thou  art  indeed  a  precious  portion,  and  I  re- 
joice that  I  possess  Thee.     But  why  dost  Thou  condescend  to 
be  found  only  by  those  who  seek  Thee  ?  I 

God  the  Lord. 

When  thou  wert  created,  O  man,  to  be 

Thy  portion  myself  I  designed  ;  j 

So  I  took  of  my  glory  to  give  to  thee. 

And  my  image  I  stamped  on  thy  mind. 

ThoTi  art  my  thought,  like  the  creatures  all, 

Which  with  my  good  gifts  I  endow  ; 
But  that  was  an  honour  for  thee  too  small — 

The  thought  that  re-thinks  me  art  thou. 


34-   Jesus  withdrew  Himself  and  prayed.  195 

The  universe  rose  when  the  word  I  spoke, 

My  infinite  fulness  to  preach — 
Like  crystal  transparent  and  bright  from  the  rock, 

But  bereft  was  the  crystal  of  speech. 

Thy  mouth  I  have  opened,  O  man,  and  thee 

Appointed  to  speak  for  the  mutes  ; 
And  thy  task  is  to  praise  and  magnify 

My  name  and  my  attributes. 


34. 

Jesus  initftbreirr  i^imself  antJ  pragetf. 

"  /  have  no  time,'''  is  what  you  say 
To  God,  who  seeks  by  night  and  day 
To  draw  thee  from  the  world  away 
To  silence  and  eternity. 

Matt.  xiv.  23.  ''Jesus  went  up  into  a  mountain  apart  to 
pray." 

Luke,  v.  16.  "  And  He  withdrew  Himself  into  the  wilder- 
ness and  prayed." 

Rev.  iii.  20.  "If  any  man  hear  my  voice  and  open  the 
door,  I  will  come  in  to  him,  and  will  sup  with  him,  and 
he  with  me." 

THERE  are  other  passages  in  which,  just  as  in  these,  it  is 
recorded  of  the  Saviour  that  He  retired  into  solitude  in 
order  to  be  alone  with  God ;  and  if  He  who  said,  "  No  man 
hath  ascended  up  to  heaven,  but  He  that  came  down  from 
heaven,  even  the  Son  of  Man  which  is  in  heaven,^^  often  yearned 
to  leave  behind  Him  all  created  things,  and  in  thought  to  be 
wholly  with  the  heavenly  Father,  how  much  more  must  this  be 
salutary  for  me  !  In  these  times  of  ours,  life  is  becoming  ever 
more  and  more  noisy  and  distracting.     And  yet,  notwithstand- 


196         34-   JesiLS  withdrew  Himself  and  prayed. 

ing,  I  find  that  men  are  ever  less  and  less  seeking  that  solitude 
which  might  protect  them  from  the  influence  of  this  distraction. 
A  sort  of  disquiet  is  creeping  over  all,  even  the  disciples  of 
Jesus,  disqualifying  them  for  imbibing  in  any  rich  measure  the 
influences  of  the  light  from  on  high  ;  for  it  is  only  on  the  bright 
and  smooth  mirror  of  the  water  that  the  sun  can  reflect  its 
face.  Men  now  live  in  the  fleeting  present,  and  have  no  longer 
time  to  think  either  of  the  past  or  of  the  future.  The  conse- 
quence is,  that  even  in  the  present  they  do  not  live  as  they 
ought. 

O  God,  how  sacred  to  me  were  the  hours  which  I  spent  in 
solitude  with  Thee  !  My  soul  emerged  from  them  as  if  from 
a  bath.  During  its  daily  avocations,  life  with  its  multitudinous 
sounds  rushes  past  like  a  roaring  waterfall  deafening  our  ears, 
so  that  we  cannot  understand  ourselves,  nor  even  God  when 
He  speaks  to  us.  How  differently  do  all  things  appear,  how 
different  we  appear  to  ourselves,  when,  after  the  bustle  of  the 
day,  sacred  and  silent  night  has  crept  on  !  Then  do  voices 
within  and  around  us,  which  before  found  no  articulate  words, 
begin  to  speak.  Often,  however,  these  voices  are  painful  to 
the  hearer,  and  therefore  it  is  that  he  flies  from  hours  of  soli- 
tude. But  shut  not  thine  ears,  dear  reader  :  among  them  there 
is  many  a  voice  that  calls  thee  home,  and  such  a  voice  is  always 
sad.  But  wilt  thou,  for  no  better  reason  than  merely  to  spare 
thyself  a  touch  of  home-sickness,  try  to  forget,  in  this  far 
country,  that  thou  hast  q,  home  elsewhere?  That  is  not  wise, 
for  so  a  time  will  come  when  even  at  home  thou  wilt  appear 
a  stranger.  Seek  to  be  alone  with  thyself.  Every  season  of 
solitude  is  as  a  silent  night,  in  which,  when  the  din  of  this  world 
dies  away,  boding  voices  from  another  begin  to  sound. 

Art  thou  then  so  much  afraid  to  have  no  companion  but 
thyself?  Ah !  I  know  full  well  what  thou  fearest  still  more. 
It  is  lest  another  join  the  company  whom  thou  art  averse  to 
see,  and  he  is  thy  conscience.  But  remember  that  the  com- 
panion whom  thus  thou  shunnest  is  God;  and  can  it  be  that  thou 
art  reconciled  to  Him  if  thou  art  afraid  of  His  company  2    As 


34-   Jesus  withdreiv  Himself  and pi'ayed.         197 

yet,  when  thou  dost  not  see  Him,  thou  only  hearest  His  voice, 
and  that  affrights  thee.  What  will  happen  when  He  shall  be 
revealed  to  thy  sight,  and  when  His  eye  shall  meet  thine? 
What  good  would  it  do  thee  to  be  admitted  with  Him  into 
heaven  ?  In  the  place  where  the  blessed  exult  thou  wouldst 
quake. 

In  a  house  in  which  the  mortar  was  dropping  from  the  walls, 
and  the  rafters  were  beginning  to  break,  there  lived  a  man  who 
was  so  deeply  absorbed  in  his  business,  that  to  one  of  his 
friends  who  sought  to  speak  with  him  alone  in  order  to  warn 
him  of  his  danger,  he  answered,  "  I  have  no  time."  Thou 
laughest  at  his  folly,  but  thou  art  thyself  the  fool.  Believe  me, 
dear  reader,  unconscious  of  it  although  thou  art,  thy  business 
is  more  important  to  thee  than  thyself;  for  otherwise  how 
couldst  thou  decline  when  the  voice  of  thy  heavenly  Friend 
bids  thee  retire  with  Him,  that  He  may  inform  thee  about  thy- 
self and  thine  earthly  tabernacle  ?  Thou  hast  a  certain  feeling, 
though  thou  wilt  not  own  it  to  thyself,  that  thou  art  not  zueil, 
and  yet  thou  shunnest  so  much  as  even  an  interview  with  thy 
Physician.  Can  that  help  thee  ?  No  ;  it  helps  thee  fwthing. 
Poor  blinded  man  !  from  the  loud  tumult  of  life  thou  wilt  be 
hurried  unexpectedly  away,  and  then  thou  wilt  be  brought  into 
a  solitude  where  the  voices  from  which  thou  didst  here  en- 
deavour to  escape  must  of  necessity  be  heard.  Here  they 
were  the  voices  of  a  friend ;  there  they  will  be  the  voice  of 
thy  fudge. 

To  thy  soul's  inmost  shrine  repair, 

And  there  with  God  converse  and  dwell ; 

To  Him  that  knows  that  palace  fair 
The  world  will  seem  a  prison  cell. 

Consider,  O  my  soul,  how  great  an  honour  thou  contemnest 
in  order  to  pursue  a  paltry  enjoyment.  Thou  hastenest  in  all 
directions  to  visit  men ;  and  thy  God  is  waiting  for  thee  with- 
in, and  thou  permittest  Him  to  wait.  Thou  wouldst  shun  this 
most  honourable  of  interviews  far  less,  hadst  thou  but  experi- 
enced the  kindness  and  condescension  with  which,  on  such 


198         34-   7(^stis  withdrew  Himself  and  prayed. 

occasions,  He  communes  with  the  soul.  No  doubt  He  has 
many  things  with  which  to  upbraid  it,  but  He  upbraids  with 
such  gentleness  and  patience  that  all  one  can  do  is  silently  to 
weep  tears  of  shame.  On  the  other  hand,  He  has  likewise  so 
many  blessed  things  to  tell  the  soul  about  its  native  land  and 
home,  and  the  thoughts  of  peace  which  He  cherishes  on  our 
behalf,  and  intends  in  the  future  to  carry  into  effect,  that  it  is 
good  to  be  with  Him.  Thou  imaginest  that  He  comes  only 
to  judge  and  punish,  and  knowest  not  that  He  also  comes  to 
pardon  and  to  save,  and  that  at  every  such  absolution  a  festi- 
val is  celebrated  in  the  inmost  recess  of  the  soul,  on  which 
even  the  angels  of  heaven  look  down  with  delight. 

A  feast  of  joy  that  never  ends 

Is  theirs  whom  Jesus  deigns  to  own, 
Gives  them  His  peace,  and  calls  His  friends, 

And  to  them  all  His  grace  makes  known. 

Then  melts  for  Him  the  sinner's  heart, 

And  sweet  and  bitter  tears  are  shed  ; 
They  think  how  well  a  Saviour's  part 

He  did,  and  for  them  wept  and  bled. 

In  His  dear  presence  there  is  bliss, 

The  heart  no  keener  joy  can  know ; 
And  henceforth  all  its  prayer  is  this, 

O  Lord,  let  it  be  ever  so  ! 

It  is  this  which  He  has  promised  when  He  says,  "  If  any  man 
hear  my  voice  and  open  the  door,  I  will  come  in  to  him,  and 
will  sup  with  him^  and  he  with  me." 

You  who  know  it  not  from  experience,  cannot  figure  to 
yourselves  the  feelings  of  the  man  whose  soul  has  thus  enjoyed 
His  presence,  and  who  then  goes  forth  again  into  the  world. 
Like  the  brightness  which  lingered  upon  the  face  of  Moses 
when  he  came  from  his  interviews  with  Jehovah,  he  who  has 
in  solitude  celebrated  the  supper  with  his  Lord  takes  on  a 
certain  radiance  from  His  countenance.  Reconciled  in  heart  on 
returning  to  the  world,  he  surveys  it  in  the  light  of  reconcilia- 
tion.    To  every  erring  brother  he  stretches  out  his  hand,  and 


35-    The  Spirit  maketJi  Intercession  for  us.         199 

upon  his  enemy's  head  collects  burning  coals  of  love.  All 
duties  appear  as  if  they  were  expressions  of  joy  and  affection, 
and  from  every  stormy  cloud  of  tribulation  he  sees  the  hand 
of  a  Father  stretched  out  to  save  His  child  from  falling.  Then 
is  God  no  longer  the  Being  whose  dwelling-place  is  far  away 
above  the  moon  and  stars :  He  is  the  omnipresent  One  who 
covers  the  heaven  and  the  earth  with  the  shadow  of  His  robe. 

E'er  since  I  knew  the  Lord  aright, 
I  sup  with  Him  from  morn  till  night. 


35. 

SJe  Spirit  maket]^  'hiizxtzmim  for  us. 

My  son,  what  marvel  if  there  he 

Deep  in  thy  breast  so  vast  a  sea, 
That  day  and  night  thy  inward  ear 

The  rippling  of  the  waves  should  hear  f 

Ps.  xxiii.  2.  *'  He  maketh  me  to  lie  down  in  green  pastures, 
He  leadeth  me  beside  the  still  waters." 

Rev.  viii.  3,  4.  "  Another  angel  came  and  stood  at  the  altar, 
having  a  golden  censer,  and  there  was  given  unto  him 
much  incense,  that  he  should  offer  it  ^  with  the  prayers  of 
all  saints  upon  the  golden  altar,  which  was  before  the 
throne :  and  the  smoke  of  the  incense  which  came  with 
the  prayers  of  the  saints  ascended  up  before  God  out  of 
the  angel's  hand." 

I  Thess.  V.   17.   '' Pray  without  ceasing." 

Rom.  viii.  26,  27.    "Likewise  the  Spirit  also  helpeth  our 

^  The  prayers  of  the  saints  are  of  great  worth  in  the  sight  of  God,  and  there- 
fore He  causes  some  grains  of  His  heavenly  incense  to  be  dropped  upon  them, 
in  order  that  they  may  ascend  to  Him  with  a  sweet  odour. 


200        35-   ^-^^^  Spirit  maketh  Intercession  for  ns. 

infirmities,  for  we  know  not  what  we  should  pray  for  as 
we  ought ;  but  the  Spirit  itself  maketh  intercession  for  us 
with  groanings  which  cannot  be  uttered.  And  He  that 
searcheth  the  hearts  knoweth  what  is  the  mind  of  the 
Spirit,  because  He  maketh  intercession  for  the  saints 
according  to  the  will  of  God." 

HOW  graciously,  O  God,  hast  Thou  set  open  for  me  a  door 
to  all  the  joys  of  eternity,  in  giving  me  the  liberty  of 
prayer  to  Thee !  Yes,  doubtless,  I  too  may  say  with  Jacob, 
"  This  is  the  gate  of  heaven."  A  time  will  come  when  we 
shall  be  free  from  the  cares  of  this  life,  and  from  all  thought 
about  perishing  things :  and  so  even  now,  while  we  pray,  the 
earth,  with  its  troubles,  lies  far  beneath  us.  A  time  will  come, 
when,  in  the  mansions  above,  we  shall  see  but  one  bright  path, 
and  that  the  path  which  led  us  to  heaven ;  and  so  even  now, 
while  we  pray,  all  that  we  have  left  behind  in  life  appears 
irradiated  with  the  light  of  glory.  How  solemn  the  calm 
which  reigns  in  the  heart  that  prays  !  It  is  the  stillness  of 
eternity,  of  which  our  God  even  here,  in  time,  vouchsafes  to 
us  a  foretaste.  To  the  soul  that  prays,  how  clearly  are  all  its 
own  ways  and  devices,  and  God  Himself,  made  manifest !  It 
is  quite  as  if  we  had  passed  out  of  the  shade  into  a  bright 
light.  Yes,  of  a  truth,  this  is  the  gate  of  heaven^  the  aiitepast  of 
eternity. 

Oh,  were  it  possible  always  so  to  pray,  then,  doubtless,  would 
men  oftener  have  recourse  to  so  precious  a  means  of  grace, 
and  yearn  after  it  from  their  inmost  heart.  Prayer,  however, 
is  twofold.  Partly  it  is  a  birth  of  nature,  and  partly,  too,  a 
product  of  art.  It  is  a  birth  of  nature,  for  to  what  does  nature 
prompt  us  more  urgently  than  to  pray  ?  Or  is  prayer  really 
anything  else  than  the  breathing  of  the  soul  ?  O  Thou  Foun- 
tain of  my  life,  in  my  very  infancy,  and  long  before  I  knew 
either  who  Thou  art  or  what  is  Thy  name,  my  soul  began  to 
incline  towards  Thee,  as  the  flower  in  a  dark  chamber  tends 
towards  the  li^ht  of  the  sun  :  and  I  felt  that  I  could  not  choose 


35-    The  Spirit  inaketh  Intercession  for  tis.        201 

but  commune  with  Thee.  Prayer,  however,  is  also  an  art ; 
and  in  the  practice  of  it,  as  in  the  other  branches  of  a  Christian 
life,  the  word  is  fulfilled,  "  That  whosoever  hath,  to  him  shall 
be  given."  Not  to  the  souls  of  all  do  the  gates  of  heaven  fly 
open  when  they  attempt  to  pray.  There  are  many  to  whom 
it  is  allowed  only  to  see  through  a  litUe  cleft ;  and  many  more 
who  but  clamour  at  the  door,  but  to  whom  it  continues  shut. 
Not  so  the  man  accustomed  to  commune  with  the  Eternal. 
All  he  needs  is  to  present  himself  before  His  face  in  solitude, 
and  every  bandage  and  veil  instantly  drops  away.  Whereas 
he  to  whom  God  is  yet  unknown,  even  though  he  wait  upon 
Him  at  the  appointed  place  of  interview,  will  have  much  to  do 
before  his  communing  becomes  hearty  and  familiar. 

O  Thou  sweet  light  of  love,  shine  into  my  heart,  so  that 
even  now  in  this  poor  life  I  may  often  celebrate  with  Thee  a 
peaceful  Sabbath,  and  enjoy  Thy  company  in  the  fellowship  of 
eternity. 

'Twas  once  my  way  to  set  apart 

Both  place  and  time  for  secret  prayer ; 
Now  pray  I  always  in  my  heart, 
And  am  alone  though  anywhere. 

This  is  what  the  apostle  means  when  he  admonishes  us  to 
pray  without  ceasing,  and  in  such  prayers  all  words  and  brisk 
emotions  of  the  heart  are  for  the  time  in  suspense.  Such 
prayers  issue  calmly  forth,  being  in  this  respect  like  the  solar 
light,  whose  approach  we  cannot  hear,  but  which  is  yet  accom- 
panied by  a  warmth  that  testifies  its  presence.  Yes,  there  is  a 
deep,  hidden  colloquy  of  holy  souls  with  God,  which  never 
ceases  any  more  than  does  the  beating  of  the  pulse  in  a  living 
man.  It  consists  in  an  inward  tending  and  aspiring  of  the 
soul  towards  its  Source,  and,  although  calm  and  silent,  it  in- 
fluences and  governs  all  the  thoughts  and  volitions  of  him  in 
whom  it  takes  place.  There  are  instances  of  the  earth  sending 
up  from  its  lowest  depths  a  tepid  breath,  scarcely  perceptible 
to  our  senses,  but  which  permeates  the  waters  upon  its  surface, 
and  impregnates  them  with  medicinal  virtues.     And  it  is  even 


202        35-    'I^^^^  spirit  inaketJi  Intercession  for  us. 

so  with  the  prayer  pecuHar  to  the  man  of  piety  :  it  hinders  him 
in  none  of  his  avocations ;  rather,  where  it  obtains,  do  these 
all  thrive  and  prosper. 

And,  dear  reader,  if  thou  wouldst  acquire  this  peculiar  kind 
of  prayer  which  transcends  both  place  and  time,  thou  must 
begin  with  the  humility  of  a  child  to  pray  at  the  particular 
place  appointed  by  God  for  the  purpose,  which  place  is  the 
sanctuary  or  the  silent  closet.  Prayer,  as  I  have  said,  is  an 
art,  and  every  art  requires  to  be  learned  with  pains.  Do  not 
therefore  shrink  from  what  may  seem  to  thee  the  trouble  of  at- 
tending at  the  time  and  place  which  God  has  been  pleased  to 
assign.  All  art,  however,  by  slow  degrees,  becomes  at  last  a 
second  nature;  and  so  likewise,  as  thou  wilt  find,  does  the  art 
of  prayer.  And  when  thou  shalt  have  attained  to  such  pro- 
ficiency, thou  wilt  no  more  "  either  in  this  mountain  or  in 
Jerusalem  worship  the  Father,"^  but  wilt  raise  the  memorial  of 
His  name  at  any  spot  on  the  face  of  the  earth. 

There  are  a  kind  of  prayers  which  man  himself  cannot  make. 
They  are  freely  given  to  him  by  Him  whose  property  he  has 
become  in  Christ.  The  Godward  seeking  and  yearning  of  the 
soul  is  nothing  but  the  breath  of  the  uncreated  Spirit  within  us 
aspiring  towards  its  source.  Sometimes  it  breaks  forth  in 
single  sighs,  and  contains  far  more  than  it  is  possible  to  utter 
in  human  words.  And  inasmuch  as  it  is  the  Spirit  that  puts 
such  prayers  into  our  heart,  and  as  they  flow  forth  undisturbed 
by  human  emotion  and  unaided  by  human  art,  so  likewise  do 
they  take  place  according  to  the  will  of  God  :  and  with  deep 
inward  prostration  before  Him,  the  saints  continually  pray, 
and  pray  nothing  else  but  "  Come,  Lord ;''  on  which  imme- 
diately follows  the  Lord's  ^^Amejz."  Nor  can  it  possibly  be 
otherwise,  because  such  prayers  are  really  the  first  steps  of 
His  approach  to  the  human  heart,  and  are  merely  sent  forth 
as  heralds  to  proclaim  that  the  great  King  is  about  to  make 
His  entrance  into  the  soul  in  a  still  more  glorious  way. 

Lord,  I  keep  silence  before  Thee,  and  suppress  all  feelings 

1  John,  iv.  21. 


36.  God  is  the  chief  Good.  203 

and  desires  of  my  own,  in  order  that  Thou  Thyself  mayest 
speak  within  me.  Let  the  Hght  of  Thy  countenance  shine 
in  upon  my  soul,  that  the  prayers  both  of  ray  lips  and  my 
heart  may  always  be  well  pleasing  to  Thee. 

Soul,  bid  thy  tossings  cease  ! 

Down  in  the  deep  profound, 

Sink  to  thy  being's  ground. 
And  there  find  peace. 

Thy  God  is  at  thy  side  ! 

Offshoot  of  Him  thou  art, 

And  so  with  thee  His  heart 
Must  still  abide. 

When  the  loud  tempests  blow, 

And  on  the  angry  main 

The  waves  roar  back  again, 
'  Tis  calm  below. 

Happy  such  calm  who  knows  ! 

For  that  which  shows  us  best 

That  on  firm  ground  we  rest, 
Is  deep  repose. 


36. 

God  is  the  great  epitome  of  light ;  " 

If  thou  wouldst  nothing  lack,  possess  Him  quite. 

How  the  soul  is  taught  by  Heavenly  Wisdom  to  pray. 
I. 
The  Soul. 
LORD,  I  long  to  pray  to  Thee  aright     Wilt  not  Thou 
Thyself  instruct  me  how  to  do  it  ? 

Heavenly  Wisdom. 
Tell  me,  my  child,  why  thou  desirest  to  pray  to  me  ?     Is  it 


o 


204  3^-   ^^<^  ^^  ^^^^  chief  Good. 

for  my  sake  or  thine  oivii  ? — is  it  to  land  SindJ>raise  me,  or  to 
crave  some  doon  for  thyselfi 

The  Soul. 

Lord,  Thy  question  perplexes  and  puts  me  to  shame.  But 
the  purpose  of  it  is  to  bring  to  Hght  what  is  in  man.  Thou 
art  my  chief  and  eternal  good,  and  well  I  know  that  I  ought 
to  pray,  and  give  Thee  thanks  and  praise,  solely  for  Thy  sake. 
And  yet  there  is  something  for  which  I  have  a  keen  and  per- 
petual desire,  and  which  I  passionately  long  to  obtain  from 
Thee  by  my  prayers. 

Heavenly  Wisdom. 

And  what  is  it  on  which  thou  hast  thus  set  thy  heart  above 
all  measure  ? 

The  Soul. 

Lord,  it  is  to  know  for  certain  that,  after  this  life  in  time,  I 
shall  enjoy  a  blessed  eternity  in  Thy  presence. 

Heavenly  Wisdom. 

And  why,  O  soul,  is  thy  desire  for  heavenly  blessedness  so 
keen  ? 

The  Soul. 

Lord,  it  is,  as  Thou  knowest,  because  this  earth,  with  all  its 
good  things,  cannot  fully  satisfy  me. 

Heavenly  Wisdom. 

Well,  then,  thou  shalt  obtain  the  boon  on  which  thy  heart 
is  so  fondly  set.  I  shall  command  the  chief  of  my  heavenly 
ministers  to  apportion  to  thee  the  treasures  of  Paradise,  and 
shall  rejoice  to  hear  that  my  heaven  can  give  what  my  little 
earth  was  too  poor  to  supply. 

The  Soul. 
Hear  this,  dost  Thou  say  ?    Methought  that  it  was  in  Thy 


36.  God  is  the  chief  Good.  205 

presence,  O  Love  Eternal,  that  I  was  to  enjoy  the  deHghts  of 
heaven :  but  how  can  even  heaven  be  heaven  to  me,  if  I  do 
not  find  Thee  there  ? 

Heavenly  Wisdom. 

What  good,  O  soul,  can  it  do  thee  to  have  my  presence  at 
thy  enjoyments?  Have  I  not  promised  thee  my  gifts,  and  was 
it  not  for  these  that  thou  didst  desire  to  pray  to  me  ?  Surely 
thou  art  asking  too  much  ? 

The  Soul. 

O  Lord,  Thou  knowest  my  inmost  heart.  It  was  before  Thy 
face,  and  only  there,  that  I  thought  of  enjoying  Thy  good 
things ;  but  if  my  joy  be  not  also  Thine,  and  Thy  joy  mine, 
even  Thy  Paradise  cannot  content  me. 

Heavenly  Wisdom. 

Well,  then,  if  thou  canst  not  be  happy  without  me,  art  thou 
willing  to  have  me,  even  though  I  bring  thee  no  gifts  at  all  ? 

The  Soul. 

Lord,  Thou  leadest  me  into  temptation  ;  but  I  reflect,  and 
still  I  answer  :  "  Whojn  have  I  in  heaven  but  Thee  ?  and  thei^e  is 
none  upo?i  earth  that  I  desire  beside  Thee"  ^  Yet  if  I  have 
found  favour  in  Thy  sight,  permit  me  still  further  to  ask  a 
question. 

Heavenly  Wisdom. 

Say  on,  my  son  ;  I  wish  to  know  all  that  is  in  thy  heart. 

The  Soul. 

Whilst  Thou  wert  speaking,  a  blessed  light  arose  within  me, 
and  now  I  know  what  Thou  art.  Art  Thou  not  so  transcen- 
dently  great  a  good,  that  if  I  were  only  to  possess  Thee,  I 
should  possess  all  the  other  things  which  I  wish  to  have — 
wisdom,  and  peace,  and  love,  and  beauty,  and  rest  ? 

1  Psalm  Ixxiii.  25. 


2o6  36.  God  is  the  chief  Good. 

Heavenly  Wisdom. 
Thou  hast  spoken  well.  I  am  indeed  the  shield  of  the 
righteous,  and  their  exceeding  great  reward.^  And  now  I 
understand  what  it  is  which  thou  didst  wish  to  obtain  by  thy 
prayers.  Tell  me,  then,  if  in  asking  me  to  teach  thee  how  to 
pray,  thy  purpose  was  to  thank  and  praise  me,  or  rather,  to 
obtain  me  as  a  boon  to  thyself. 

The  Soul. 
Again  Thou  art  pleased  to  lead  me  into  temptation.  Why 
dost  Thou  ask  that  question  ?  Is  not  my  love  all  that  Thou 
carest  for?  What  else  but  Thyself  dost  Thou  give  us  in  Thy 
gifts  ?  and  how  can  a  creature  laud  and  praise  Thee  more  than 
by  making  Thee  the  boon  for  which  he  craves  ? 

Heavenly  Wisdom. 
My  son,  thou  sayest  what  is  right,  but  mark  the  delusion  in 
which  thou  wert  entangled.     When  intending,  in  thy  prayers, 
to  laud  and  praise  me  as  the  chief  good,  it  yet  was  not  myself 
but  my  gifts  that  were  the  object  of  thy  desire. 

11. 

The  Soul. 
Lord,  Thou  art  to  me  so  high  and  precious  a  good,  that 
henceforth  I  will  no  longer  pray  for  any  earthly  good  at  all, 
but  solely  for  Thyself. 

The  Lord. 
'Tis  well,  my  son.     The  portion  thou  needest  of  the  good 
things  of  earth  will  be  given  to  thee  by  Him  into  whose  hand 
they  are  committed. 

The  Soul. 
How  shall  I  understand  Thee,  Lord  ?    Is  there,  then,  any 

1  Gen.  XV.  i. 


36.   God  is  the  chief  Good.  207 

other  hand  but  Thine  own  into  which  good  things  are  com- 
mitted ? 

The  Lord. 

No,  my  son,  mitte  is  the  hand  from  which  all  the  good 
things  both  of  earth  and  heaven  are  received.  Why,  then, 
wilt  thou  not  ask  from  me  the  earthly  ones,  nor  thank  me  for 
them  ?  Methought  I  was  so  dear  to  thee  that  thou  wouldst 
accept  of  no  gift  unless  it  came  from  a  Father's  hand.  Me- 
thought that,  on  that  account,  all  my  gifts  would  seem  to  thee 
to  be  fraught  with  blessing.  When  I  presented  thee  with  an 
earthly  good,  did  I  not  mean  by  it,  no  less  than  by  my  spiritual 
gifts,  to  attest  to  thee  the  continuance  of  my  love  ?  And  dost 
thou  value  an  attestation  of  my  love  at  so  low  a  rate  ? 

The  Soul. 

Lord,  now  that  Thou  showest  it  to  me,  I  see  how  foolishly 
I  spake.  It  was,  however,  only  that  my  whole  endeavour 
might  be  aimed  with  a  more  single  eye  at  Thyself,  that  I 
wanted  not  to  have  my  thoughts  diverted  by  any  perishable 
object,  and  therefore  meant  no  longer  to  pray  to  Thee  for 
earthly  blessings. 

The  Lord. 

Dear  soul,  thou  sayest  thou  didst  not  wish  to  distract  thy 
mind  by  looking  at  transitory  things,  but  observe  how  thou 
didst  divide  thy  heart ;  for  didst  thou  not  intend  to  praise  me 
for  what  my  heaven  bestows,  but  to  be  dumb  for  every  boon 
that  my  earth  confers  ? 

The  Soul. 

Lord,  Thou  puttest  me  to  shame.  In  my  desire  to  be 
siviple-minded  I  have  erred  in  my  own  wisdom,  and  become 
double-77iinded.  As  Thou  art  the  Lord  of  heaven,  and  no  less 
also  the  Lord  of  earth,  I  no  doubt  ought  to  ask,  and  likewise 
thank  Thee,  for  earthly  blessings.  Forgive  me  for  what  I  said 
in  my  folly  j  but,  inasmuch  as  I  have  taken  upon  me  to  speak 


2o8  36.  God  is  tJie  chief  Good. 

unto  Thee,  and  fear  that  my  heart  may  cleave  to  created 
things,  I  now  entreat  that  Thou  wouldst  Thyself  teach  me  the 
right  way  to  pray  for  earthly  blessings. 

The  Lord. 
My  son,  thou  hast  said  that  there  is  none  in  heaven  or  earth 
whom  thou  desirest  more  than  me,  and  that  I  am  thy  chief 
and  eternal  good.  If,  then,  that  be  true,  I  will  show  thee  the 
way  to  pray  for  earthly  blessings,  and  yet  to  have  thy  heart 
wholly  detached  from  them.  Thou  didst  strive  with  ardent 
desire  to  reach  my  heart ;  strive  therefore  after  every  blessing  I 
bestow^  as  if  it  were  a  path  by  which  my  heart  may  be  reached. 

The  Soul. 
Full  well  I  know  that  the  spiritual  influences  emanating  so 
blissfully  from  Thee  are  nothing  but  beams  of  light,  intended 
to  guide  us  back  to  the  Sun  from  whence  they  came.  But 
with  Thy  permission  I  would  ask  if  this  be  also  the  case  with 
earthly  blessings  ? 

The  Lord. 
Didst  thou  ever,  at  the  rising  of  the  sun,  observe  how  its 
image  is  reflected,  as  if  it  were  a  miniature  sun,  in  every  drop 
of  dew?  Such  is  the  relation  between  my  divinity  and  all 
this  earthly  creation.  In  none  of  the  creatures  oughtest  thou 
to  enjoy  anything  save  what  is  gentle,  and  sweet,  and  lovely; 
and  whatever  is  gentle,  and  sweet,  and  lovely  in  any  created 
thing,  is  my  signature  and  mark.  On  the  contrary,  all  that  is 
harsh,  and  hateful,  and  bitter,  belongs  to  the  creature  itself. 
And  so,  my  child,  you  see  how,  from  every  created  thing  upon 
the  earth,  there  is  a  way  to  the  heart  of  my  Godhead. 

The  Soul. 

I  do  see  it ;  but  be  not  angry  with  me  if  I  once  again  open 

my  mouth,  for  there  is  still  something  which  is  strange  in  my 

eyes.     If  every  created  thing  be  a  way  to  Thy  heart,  how 

comes  it  that  Thy  manner  has  always  been  to  impoverish  the 


37-  If  "^^  <^^k  according  to  His  Will,  &c.         209 

most  pious  of  Thy  servants  here  below  more  than  all  others, 
although  they  are  most  accustomed  to  read  Thy  signature  and 
mark;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  Thou  lavishest  the  good 
things  of  ea?'t/i  on  those  who  are  far  from  Thee  ? 

The  Lord. 

For  no  other  cause  or  reason,  dear  son,  save  that  I  am  the 
Lord,  and  have  ordered  all  things  in  weight,  number,  and 
measure.^  As  the  signature  and  mark  which  I  impress  upon 
terrestrial  blessings  are  written  in  large  letters,  legible  even  to 
the  simple,  it  is  to  the  simple  that  in  my  wisdom  I  have  allot- 
ted terrestrial  blessings.  But  as  my  wisdom  has  inscribed  a 
better  signature,  although  in  fainter  lines,  upon  poverty  and 
privation,  these  are  the  boons  I  have  reserved  for  them  who 
are  the  "  children  of  the  secret." 

The  Soul. 

"A  word  fitly  spoken  is  like  apples  of  gold  in  dishes  of 
silver."  ^  Lord,  this  is  a  hard  saying,  but  Thy  Spirit  will  be  to 
me  a  light  within. 


37. 

E  ^£  ask  accorbing  to  i^is  raill,  Hz  JearttJ  us. 

You  think  our  prayers  He  does  not  heed, 

Because  He  often  answers  ' '  Nay;  " 
And  were  that  all  He  did,  indeed 

I  scarcely  would  your  plea  gainsay. 

But  if  beside  the  "  Nay^'  there  be 

Some  better  boon  than  what  we  sought, 
Methinks  a  se7iseless  churl  is  he 

Who  says  his  prayer  no  answer  got. 

Matt,  xviii.   19.    ''If  two  of  you  shall  agree  on  earth  as 

1  Ecclus.  xi.  22.  ^  Prov.  xxv.  ii — Luther's  vers. 

O 


210  ij.  If  we  ask  according  to  His  Will, 

touching  anything  that  they  shall  ask,  it  shall  be  done  for 

them  of  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven." 
John,  xv.  7.     "If  ye  abide  in  me,  and  my  words  abide  in 

you,  ye  shall  ask  what  ye  will,  and  it  shall  be  done  unto 

you." 
John,  xvi.  23.     "Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  Whatsoever 

ye  shall  ask  the  Father  in  my  name,  He  shall  give  it 

you." 
I  John,  v.  14.     "This  is  the  confidence  that  we  have  in 

Him,  that  if  we  ask  anything  according  to  His  will.  He 

heareth  us." 

THE  blessed  promises  which,  in  these  words,  the  Lord 
has  given  to  His  children,  have  in  the  lives  of  many 
Christians,  as  I  know  from  experience,  proved  a  stone  of 
stumbling  on  which  not  a  few  have  fallen,  and  some  have  been 
dashed  to  pieces.  Here  the  Saviour  positively  engages  that 
every  single  prayer  which  is  made  in  faith  shall  be  answered. 
Oh  how  I  rejoiced  when  I  first  met  with  this  promise  in  the 
Holy  Scriptures  !  And  afterwards,  when  with  the  eye  of  faith 
I  surveyed  the  long  succession  of  His  servants,  from  Gideon 
to  Elijah,  and  from  Elijah  to  Augustus  Franke,  to  all  of  whom 
the  Lord  had  redeemed  His  word,  I  felt  that  now  my  God 
was  indeed  a  living  God,  and  that  as  long  as  I  lived  He  would 
never  balk  my  trust.  I  saw  the  heavens  open,  and  the 
ladder  reaching  from  heaven  to  earth,  and  upon  which  the 
angels  ascended  and  descended,  that  Jacob  only  dreamt  of, 
was  to  me  a  reahty.  How,  I  exclaimed,  can  faith  still  be 
called  an  art,  when  He  who  made  the  heavens  and  the  earth 
draws  near  so  kindly  to  His  children,  and  visibly  stretcher 
forth  His  hand  from  the  clouds  to  take  hold  of  theirs?  Here 
only  the  half  is  faith,  the  other  half  already  vision.  I  know  of 
many  souls  who,  in  the  happy  hour  of  their  first  love,  exulted 
in  the  same  way ;  and  then,  oh  how  contrary  did  the  event 
prove  !  They  prayed — they  rent  heaven  with  their  prayers. 
But  heaven  closed  its  doors,  and  their  prayers  fell  back  un- 


He  heareth  us.  2 1 1 

answered  on  their  hearts.  It  is  dismal  to  hear  it  said ;  and 
yet  what  better  proof  can  there  be  of  the  astonishing  power 
which  Christian  truth  exerts  upon  men,  than  that  there  are 
thousands  who  have  experienced  what  I  here  describe,  and 
who  nevertheless  continue  still  to  pray  on  and  to  beHeve  ?  It 
is,  however,  only  by  slow  degrees  that  the  child  in  Christ 
grows  up  to  be  a  man ;  and  there  are  ailments  to  which  the 
awakened  are  subject  in  their  spiritual  infancy,  and  one  of 
these  is  the  vehemence  with  which  they  pant  for  special 
answers  to  prayer. 

O  Eternal  Wisdom,  how  my  heart  bled  when  the  convic- 
tion was  forced  upon  me  that  I  misunderstood  Thy  promises  ! 
For  this,  however,  I  did  not  blame  Thee,  but  ascribed  it  to  7ny 
own  blindness ;  and  Thou  hast  not  withheld  from  me  Thy 
light.  Thou  hast  borne  with  my  infirmity,  and  trained  me  in 
Thy  school,  until  at  last  I  have  attained  to  manhood.  No 
doubt  the  mouth  of  truth  has  uttered  the  words,  "All  things 
whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  in  prayer,  believing,  ye  shall  receive." 
But  we  must  not  forget*  that  from  the  same  mouth  arose  to 
heaven  the  prayer,  "  Father,  not  my  will  but  Thine  be  done." 
Can  we  evade  the  conviction  that  we  never  become  children, 
in  the  full  sense  of  the  word,  until  in  the  sight  of  God  we  have 
wholly  parted  with  our  own  will,  and  in  sincerity  of  heart  can  say, 

Eternal  Wisdom,  all  Thy  will  has  seen 
Meet  to  allot  me  my  own  will  has  been  ? 

All  that  a  Christian  soul  has  to  supplicate  from  God  is  absorbed 
in  the  single  petition  of  Thy  kingdom  come.  And  the  question 
we  ought  to  be  asking  ourselves  every  hour  is.  Whether,  when 
we  inquire  and  search  to  the  bottom  of  our  hearts,  in  order  to 
discover  what  is  the  inmost  and  strongest  of  our  desires,  we 
find  it  to  be,  that  God  may  reign  within  us,  and  every  thought 
we  think,  and  every  throb  of  our  pulse,  be  subject  to  Him  ? 
Oh  how  transporting  would  be  the  consciousness  that  God 
was  indeed  reigning  within  me  I  For  now,  alas!  is  not  the 
human  heart,  with  all  its  conflicting  thoughts  and  wishes  and 
emotions,  like  a  realm  in  which  the  subjects  have  revolted 


212  'i^j.  If  we  ask  according  to  His  Will, 

from  their  king  ?  But  a  time  is  coming  when  He  shall  reign, 
and  when  all  within  me  shall  serve  Him  in  holiness  and  love. 
And  can  fallen  man  utter  a  prayer  with  a  nobler  burden  than  this? 
If,  then,  this  petition  be  the  sole  scope  of  a  godly  heart, 
what  can  other  petitions,  which  we  offer  for  this"  or  that  par- 
ticular boon,  really  import,  save  that  we  regard  the  things  we 
ask  as  the  best  means  for  securing  to  the  King  Eternal  His 
rightful  dominion  over  us?  Inasmuch,  too,  as  the  Divine 
Being,  in  His  wisdom,  alone  knows  what  the  best  means  for 
attaining  the  best  ends  really  are,  when  He  denies  us  the  boon 
for  which  we  pray,  the  denial  of  it  must  be  a  blessing  no  less 
than  the  bestowal.  That  which  is  the  object  of  the  heart's 
inmost  yearning.  He  can  bring  about  quite  as  well  when  He 
refuses  to  save  our  dying  friend,  or  to  remove  the  thorn  from 
our  flesh,  or  to  cause  the  sun  to  shine  and  the  rain  to  fall  on 
our  fields,  as  when  He  consents  to  do  these  things.  A  beautiful 
instance  of  this  in  the  life  of  the  great  Church  father,  St 
Augustine,  has  often  given  me  both  consolation  and  light.  He 
wished  to  leave  Carthage,  where  he  had  become  deeply  en- 
tangled in  the  snares  of  sin,  and  to  visit  Rome,  then  the 
metropolis  of  the  world ;  but  his  pious  mother  restrained  him 
with  her  tears,  and  would  not  let  him  go,  being  afraid  that  he 
would  encounter  still  more  dangerous  snares  in  the  great  city 
than  where  he  was.  He  had  promised  to  her  to  remain,  but, 
forgetful  of  his  duty,  embarked  in  a  vessel  under  the  cloud  of 
night,  and  in  the  very  place  to  which  her  affection  was  afraid 
to  let  him  go  he  found  salvation,  and  was  converted.  Ponder- 
ing in  his  mind  how  the  Love  Eternal  had  conducted  him  to 
where  he  himself  had  only,  in  the  frowardness  of  his  heart, 
thought  of  going,  in  the  retrospect  of  his  life  which  he  takes 
in  his  '  Confessions,'  he  says,  "  But  Thou,  my  God,  Hstening 
in  Thy  high  and  heavenly  counsels  to  what  was  the  scope  of 
my  mother's  wishes,  refused  her  what  she  prayed  for  at  that 
time,  that  Thou  mightst  grant  her  what  was  at  all  times  the 
subject  of  her  prayers."  ^ 

1  St  Augustine's  Confessions,  B.  v.  chap.  viii. 


He  heareth  us.  213 

Eternal  Wisdom,  ever  since  Thou  didst  thus  illumine  the 
darkness  of  my  infant  faith,  how  clear  has  it  become  to  me 
that  that  stormy  flame  which  once  burned  in  my  heart  was  all 
too  impure  !  I  required  that  the  heavens  above  my  head 
should  be  rent,  merely  because  I  had  not  sufficient  faith  and 
patience  to  recognise  the  traces  of  Thy  government  in  the 
ordmary  course  of  earthly  events.  I  failed  to  see  that  the  faith 
which  discerns  Thy  hand  behind  the  natural  order  of  things, 
and  with  persevering  patience  waits  for  the  appointed  hour 
when  Thou  wilt  give  to  Thy  children  what  is  for  their  good,  is 
a  faith  harder  to  exercise  than  that  which  refuses  to  trust  Thee, 
unless  Thy  hand  be  every  moment  visibly  stretched  forth  from 
heaven. 

What  a  noble  pattern  might  not  St  Paul  have  been  to  me  ! 
At  the  time  when  Thou  wert  laying  the  foundation-stone  of 
Thy  Church,  He  had  beheld  thine  arm  visibly  stretched  forth 
from  heaven.  He  had  had  actual  experience  that  at  Thy  nod 
the  earth  quaked  and  the  fetters  that  bound  Thy  servants 
broke  asunder. ^  Although,  however,  he  had  in  many  ways 
actually  seen  the  working  of  Thy  miraculous  hand,  yet  never 
once  did  he  crave  from  Thee  its  help.  For  two  long  years  he 
wore  his  chains  in  the  prison  of  Caesarea,  and  in  that  of  Rome 
for  even  a  still  longer  period,  and  yet  we  do  not  read  of  his 
ever  having  either  asked  or  expected  of  Thee  to  work  a  miracle 
for  his  release.  In  complete  resignation,  he  left  it  for  the 
Lord  to  determine  whether  he  was  to  depart  this  life  or  to 
abide  in  the  flesh,^  and  whether  he  was  to  visit  the  brethren 
in  the  imperial  city,  or  to  have  that  desire  of  his  heart  un- 
fulfilled.3 

And  by  the  light  which  Thou  givest  me,  O  my  Lord,  I  also 
can  now  interpret  the  promises  of  Thy  word  in  but  one  sense, 
which  is  this,  that  the  great  object  for  which  Thy  true  disciples 
will  ever  pray  is  that  Thy  kingdom  may  come;  and  therefore 
that  they  will  set  their  heart  upon  nothing,  except  in  so  far  as 
they  consider  it  the  means  by  which  that  object  may  be  pro- 
1  Acts,  xvi.  26.  2  Philip,  i.  23,  24.  3  Rom.  i,  13. 


214         Z7'  If  "^^  ^^^  according  to  His  Will,  &c. 

moted.  That  Thou  to  whom  alone  the  right  belongs  mayest 
wield  the  sceptre,  is  what  they  long  for  in  their  inmost  souls. 
This  is  the  prayer  which  knows  no  pause  in  their  hearts,  and 
which,  O  gracious  Lord,  on  every  occasion  Thou  dost  fulfil, 
whether  it  seem  good  to  Thy  wisdom  to  grajif  or  to  7'efuse  their 
special  petitions.  All  Thy  children  are  bound  for  home,  and 
this  one  perhaps  asks  Thee  for  wings,  but  in  Thy  wisdom  Thou 
givest  to  him  only  a  chariot.  Another  prays  to  Thee  for  a 
chariot,  and  Thou  givest  to  him  a  staff.  But  what  does  it 
matter,  provided  they  all  arrive  in  safety  ? 

No  doubt,  when  souls  are  specially  dear  to  Thee,  Thou 
mayest  sometimes  suggest  to  the  heart  and  put  into  the  lips 
the  special  petitions  which  Thou  hast  beforehand  resolved  to 
grant,  and  these  constitute  the  singular  cases  of  prayer  miracu- 
lously answered.  Ought  I,  however,  to  insist  upon  Thy  doing 
this  for  me?  Secrets  are  for  kings,  and  hidden  things  for  men 
of  high  degree,  but  in  the  kingdom  of  God  I  am  no  king ;  I 
am  only  a  child  of  humble  folk.  On  the  great  highway  to 
Zion  there  are  reserved  foofpaf /is,  and  this  is  one  of  them.  For 
me,  however,  it  has  been  appointed  to  travel  with  the  crowd. 
Full  well  I  see  that  my  shoulders  are  too  weak  to  bear  the 
honours  which  Thou  canst  allot  with  safety  to  the  dignitaries 
of  Thy  kingdom.  When  I  reflect  how  great  would  be  the  temp- 
tation, if  such  as  I  possessed,  like  Peter,  the  power  of  saying 
to  the  lame,  "  Rise  up  and  walk,"  or  like  Paul  to  the  evil 
spirits,  "  I  command  thee  to  come  out  of  her,"  I  am  afraid. 
And  yet  to  pray  with  success,  in  a  special  case  of  need,  is  like- 
wise a  miracle.  I  am  still,  O  Lord,  in  the  lowest  class  of  I'hy 
school,  and  for  one  who  has  never  yet  learned  rightly  to  believe 
in  many  of  the  manifest  miracles  of  Thy  grace,  the  power  to 
work  miracles  would  be  an  unsuitable  gift.  If  perchance  it 
shall  ever  happen  that  I  am  deemed  worthy  of  so  great  a  dis- 
tinction, it  will  only  be  when  I  shall  have  learned  to  pray 
wholly  in  Thy  name.  And  this  I  shall  never  learn,  until  I 
have  fully  sacrificed  to  Thee  all  will  of  my  own.  For  the 
present,  dear  Master,  my  prayer  shall  be — 


38.   The  Lord's  Prayer.  21 

Grant  me  the  wonders  of  Thy  grace 

In  every  day's  events  to  see ; 
Thou  meetest  me  in  all  my  ways — 

O  that  I  sought  to  meet  with  Thee  ! 

Better  to  trust  Thy  hand  of  might, 

Even  when  by  sable  clouds  concealed, 
Than  own  it  when,  to  sense  and  sight, 

Stretched  forth  from  heaven,  it  stands  revealed. 

O  help  me  then  hy  faith  to  live. 

The  faith  that  to  the  tmseen  cleaves, 
Sure  that  eternity  will  give 

Vision  to  him  who  here  believes. 


38. 


Here  Christ's  own  words  express  my  wants,  and  now 

With  perfect  confidence  to  God  I  pray  ;, 
For  to  the  prayer  the  Son  hath  taught  us  how 

Can  God  the  Father  ever  answer  "  Nay  "  f 

Matt.  vi.  9,  13.  "  Our  Father  which  art  in  heaven,  hallowed 
be  Thy  name.  Thy  kingdom  come.  Thy  will  be  done 
in  earth  as  it  is  in  heaven.  Give  us  this  day  our  daily 
bread.  And  forgive  us  our  debts,  as  we  forgive  our 
debtors.  And  lead  us  not  into  temptation,  but  deliver  us 
from  evil :  for  Thine  is  the  kingdom,  and  the  power,  and 
the  glory,  for  ever.     Amen." 

FROM  my  inmost  heart  I  thank  God  for  having  mercifully 
given  to  us  a  prayer  in  the  very  words  dictated  by  our 
Lord.  Oh,  with  what  confidence  we  pray  it,  knowing  as  we  do 
that  for  every  one  of  its  petitions  we  have  the  sanction  of  the 
Son  of  God ;  and  knowing  that,  we  likewise  know  that  our 
prayers  shall  be  heai^d,  and  feel  as  if  the  Lord  Jesus  were  stand- 


2 1 6  38.   The  L  ord's  Prayer. 

ing  at  our  side,  and  acting  as  our  advocate  and  voucher  for 
everything  we  ask. 

It  may  be  long  before  a  Christian  advances  so  far  as  to 
become  aware  how  great  a  treasure  he  possesses  in  the  prayer 
of  our  Lord.  At  first  we  are  apt  to  think  that  its  petitions  are 
by  no  means  of  so  lofty  an  import  as  they  might  be,  and  that 
they  do  not  afford  an  adequate  medium  for  expressing  the  in- 
most yearnings  of  the  soul.  And  yet,  at  last,  we  come  to  see 
that  if  we  pray  at  all,  this  prayer  must  be  our  rule  of  direction. 
Luther  says  with  truth,  that  no  martyr  in  the  world  ever  suffered 
such  ill-usage  as  that  which  this  prayer  has  had  to  endure. 
"  When  ye  pray,"  says  the  Saviour,  "  use  not  vain  repetitions, 
as  the  heathen  do,  but  after  this  manner  pray  ye.  Our  Father 
which  art  in  heaven,"  and  so  on.  It  seems,  therefore,  that 
His  intention  was  to  show  to  Christian  people  how  many  and 
how  great  things  it  is  possible  to  pray  for  in  very  few  words  ', 
and  yet  men  who  bear  His  name  have  been  taught  to  mumble 
it  over  dozens  of  times,  exactly  as  the  heathen  pray.  Oh,  when 
the  salt  has  lost  its  savour,  wherewith  shall  it  be  salted  ? 

Never  shall  we  learn  to  use  the  Lord's  Prayer  aright  until 
we  have  really  become  His  children.  It  is  designed  for  men 
of  simple  intJids,  and  it  also  serves  to  make  us  more  simple- 
minded,  simpler  too  in  our  desires,  so  that  our  wishes  and  aims 
are  ever  more  and  more  contracted  into  a  longing  for  what  are 
the  true  and  main  blessings  of  life  ;  all  other  things  being  left 
to  the  disposal  of  the  grace  and  providence  of  God.  The 
more  the  mind  of  the  Christian  is  undistracted,  the  simpler 
become  his  desires,  and  the  simpler  also  his  petitions.  And 
to  this  noble  simplicity  in  praying,  the  prayer  of  our  Lord  fur- 
nishes us  with  a  guide  and  directory. 

*'  When  I  am  about  to  pray  the  Lord's  Prayer,"  says  one 
who  was  much  upon  his  knees,  ''  I  first  of  all  think  of  my  de- 
parted father,  and  of  how  kind  he  was,  and  of  the  pleasure  he 
took  in  giving  to  me.  Next  I  figure  to  myself  the  whole  world 
as  ray  father's  house,  and  then  all  the  inhabitants  of  Europe 
and  Asia,  Africa  and  America,  become  in  thought  my  brothers 


3 8 .   The  Lord's  Prayer.  2 1 7 

and  sisters.  And  God  sits  in  heaven  upon  a  golden  throne, 
and  stretches  His  right  hand  across  the  sea  to  the  end  of  the 
earth,  and  has  His  left  filled  with  salvation  and  all  good  things, 
while  the  tops  of  the  mountains  smoke  around ;  and  then  I 
begin,  '  Our  Father  which  art  in  heaven.'  "  Yes,  all  the  good- 
ness, faithfulness,  and  love  which  we  find  and  enjoy  in  earthly 
fathers,  must  be  taken  into  view  when  we  lift  our  eyes  to  that 
great  Father  of  whom  the  whole  family  in  heaven  and  earth  is 
named.1  In  this  way  the  heart  becomes  as  confident  as  if  we 
heard  His  voice  responding  aloud  to  every  petition,  and  say- 
ing, "  Amen,  my  son."  In  order,  however,  that  when  we  thus 
call  upon  Him  we  may  leave  behind  us  all  the  folly  and  frailty 
which  here  on  earth  cleave  to  human  fathers.  He  bids  us  sub- 
join "  which  art  in  heaven^^ — as  if  He  meant  to  say,  He  is  our 
true  Father,  for  He  is  not  merely  willing^  but  has  likewise  the 
requisite  knowledge  and  power  to  bestow  good  things.  How 
beautifully,  too,  does  He  remind  us  by  the  word  ''  our,"  which 
is  prefixed  to  "  Father,"  that  when  we  come  into  His  presence 
we  ought  always  to  bring  with  us  a  heart  alive  to  the  necessi- 
ties of  our  brethren,  as  much  as  to  our  own  ! 

'"''  Hallowed  be  Thy  Jia7fie."  Mark  how  at  first  He  leaves  out 
of  view  all  that  the  suppliant  might  wish  to  ask  for  himself. 
It  is  Thy  name.  Thy  kingdom.  Thy  will ;  and  this  is  the  direc- 
tion in  which  the  heart  of  the  Christian  always  tends.  Yes ; 
so  transcendently  great  and  glorious  is  He,  the  fountain  of  all 
good  gifts,  that  when  we  pray  for  the  glorification  of  His  name, 
His  kingdom,  and  His  will,  we  virtually  pray  for  blessedness 
to  ourselves.  O  that  men  understood  how  good  He  is !  O 
that  they  only  knew  His  name !  It  is  indeed  like  ointment 
poured  forth,  and  filling  the  whole  house  and  heart  with  frag- 
rance.2  After  learning  it,  all  names  and  titles  of  earthly  great- 
ness vanish ;  and  though  to  many  of  these  we  may  previously 
have  paid  homage,  the  glory  is  now  given  to  it  alone,  and  it 
alone  is  hallowed.  I  perceive  so  clearly  that  there  is  no  name 
but  His  that  is  worthy  of  being  hallowed ;  and  yet  wherever  I 
1  Eph.  iii.  15.  2  Song  of  Solomon,  i.  3. 


21 8  3^-   The  Lord's  Prayer. 

look  I  observe  the  profanation  to  which,  in  innumerable  ways, 
it  is  subjected.  Men  cleave  to  the  gifts  of  God  instead  of  to 
Himself,  and  bear  His  name  upon  their  lips  in  place  of  in  their 
hearts.  Nay,  when  I  question  myself  whether  I  hallow  that 
name  and  reverence  it  in  my  inmost  soul  as  I  continually 
ought,  I  feel  ashamed,  and  with  deep  emotion  exclaim,  "  Oh, 
ever  more  and  more  let  Thy  name  be  hallowed  in  me  and 
every  human  being  !  " 

"  Thy  kingdom  come  J'  Surely  where  so  good  a  monarch 
reigns  there  must  be  peace  and  prosperity  without  measure ; 
and  did  I  but  hallow  His  name,  how  could  He  fail  to  reign 
within  me  ?  Yes,  if  all  that  I  know  of  Him — of  His  noble 
kingly  heart,  of  his  great  and  merciful  designs,  of  His  wise  and 
holy  laws — were  sacred  in  my  eyes,  the  inevitable  consequence 
would  be,  that  He  would  reign  in  my  heart :  my  heart  would 
be  His  throne,  and  all  the  members  of  my  body  and  all  the 
faculties  of  my  soul  His  ministering  angels.  This,  in  fact,  is 
the  great  effect  that  He  is  ever  more  and  more  working  out  in 
all  who  belong  to  Him ;  and  I  would  be  unfaithful  to  truth 
w^ere  I  not  to  acknowledge,  to  His  praise,  that  I  myself  by  slow 
degrees  have  learned  to  serve  Him,  and  yield  to  Him  my 
members  as  instruments  of  righteousness  more  willingly  than  I 
once  could  do ;  and  still  better,  to  learn  this  lesson  is  w^iat  my 
whole  soul  desires  each  time  I  pray,  "  Thy  kingdom  come." 
Yes :  in  uttering  this  petition  I  strive  in  my  inmost  heart  to  re- 
solve more  sincerely  than  ever  to  surrender  myself  and  all  that 
I  possess  unreservedly  to  His  service,  that  He  may  do  with  me  as 
He  will;  and  while  I  utter  it,  my  whole  being  thrills  with  joy 
in  the  anticipation  that  the  feud  within  me  shall  cease  at  last, 
and  not  in  me  only,  but  in  all  to  whom  He  has  given  power 
to  become  His  children.  Not  for  ever  shall  His  subjects  be 
disloyal ;  not  for  ever  will  He  need  to  upbraid  us  in  anger, 
and  say,  "  If  I  be  a  Father,  where  is  my  honour?  And  if  I 
be  a  Master,  where  is  my  fear?"^  No:  a  time  is  coming 
when,  here  on  earth,  "  they  shall  not  hurt  or  destroy  in  all 
1  Mai.  i.  6. 


38.   The  Lord's  Prayer.  219 

God's  holy  mountain,"  and  when  "  the  earth  shall  be  full  of 
the  knowledge  of  the  Lord,  as  the  waters  cover  the  sea."^ 

"  Thy  will  be  done  in  ea?'th  as  it  is  in  heaven'^  Oh  how  good 
and  blessed  a  thing  it  is  to  know  that  the  feud  and  rebellion 
which  prevail  here  on  earth  do  not  at  least  reach  to  the  bright 
regions  above  !  How  painful  would  be  the  thought  that  they 
did  !  When,  therefore,  I  utter  this  petition,  I  figure  to  myself 
how  it  will  be  when,  over  the  whole  world,  on  the  mountains 
and  in  the  valleys,  all  altars  shall  smoke  to  Him,  and  all  men 
present  to  Him  the  oblation  of  a  perfect  and  childlike  obedi- 
ence, like  that  which  the  holy  angels  are  now  presenting  in 
heaven.  No  other  will  but  His  is  good;  and  the  longer  we 
live,  the  more  do  we  become  convinced  of  this,  and  the  more 
earnestly  do  we  desire  that  no  other  may  prevail.  No  doubt, 
when  we  behold  the  disobedience  which  is  shown  to  His  holy 
commandments  over  all  the  earth,  we  almost  lack  courage  to 
utter  so  bold  a  prayer.  But  the  Son  of  God  has  put  it  into 
my  lips,  and  therefore  I  can  hope  with  strong  assurance  that 
He  still  thinks  thoughts  of  peace  towards  the  inhabitants  of 
earth,  and  I  can  look  forward  to  the  time  of  which  it  is  writ- 
ten that  "  God  shall  be  all  in  all."  ^  In  this  manner  these 
beautiful  petitions  enable  us  to  rejoice  in  the  hope  of  that 
which  is  to  come,  even  when  our  cheeks  are  wet  with  tears  at 
the  spectacle  which  is  before  our  eyes. 

''  Give  us  this  day  our  daily  breads  I  ask  not  for  wealth 
and  a  full  barn.  If  the  eye  required  to  rest  on  things  like 
these  before  the  heart  could  feel  tranquil  and  safe,  what  room 
would  there  be  for  the  faith  which  cleaves  to  the  unseen  as  if  it 
were  patent  to  the  sight  ?  What  I  ask  is,  that  the  Lord  would 
be  pleased  to  bless  the  labour  of  my  hands,  and  by  His  bless- 
ing give  me  a  token  that  the  labour  of  my  hands,  performed 
in  obedience  to  His  will,  is  acceptable  to  Him.  Certain  it  is 
that  He  rejoices  when  His  children  are  unwilling  to  take  even 
their  daily  bread  from  any  hand  but  His  own.  In  a  family  the 
children  know  full  well  that  the  father  ^vill  spread  for  them  the 
1  Isa.  xi.  9.  2  I  Cor.  xv.  28. 


220  3^'   ^^^^  Lord's  Prayer. 

table ;  and  full  well,  likewise,  does  the  father  know  that  the 
children's  eyes  look  unto  his  hands  to  give  to  them  their  food. 
But,  nevertheless,  it  does  the  heart  of  a  father  good  when  the 
children  do  not  keep  silence,  but  take  courage  to  crave  from 
him  this  temporal  gift,  and  thank  him  for  it  when  obtained. 
Every  day  to  the  throne  of  the  heavenly  Father  flock  the 
beasts  of  the  field  and  the  birds  of  the  air  and  the  fish  of  the 
sea,  to  receive  from  His  hands  their  daily  bread.  It  is,  how- 
ever, the  prerogative  of  man  that  he  alone  is  able  to  pray  to  and 
thank  Him  for  it  in  intelligible  speech.  Oh  how  rich  must 
that  storehouse  be  from  which  the  great  Lord  of  the  world  has 
for  so  many  thousand  years  been  feeding  and  nourishing  the 
many  millions  of  His  creatures,  and  has  never  forgotten  one 
of  them  !  How  easily  might  we  give  way  to  mistrust,  and  to 
the  apprehension  of  being  one  day  reduced  to  want !  That, 
however,  is  impossible,  for  "  He  who  is  Lord  over  all  is  rich 
unto  all  who  call  upon  Him."  ^ 

When  men  pray  from  the  prompting  of  their  own  hearts, 
they  insist  longest  upon  that  which  is  needful  for  the  outward 
man ;  but  into  the  prayer  which  He  has  taught  to  us  who  are 
His  children,  the  Lord  has  admitted  only  this  one  petition, 
and  thereby  has  given  us  to  understand  that  far  greater  is  the 
destitution  of  our  souls. 

"  And  forgive  us  our  debts  ^  as  we  forgive  our  debtors  ^  Here 
He  allows  us  to  pray  for  the  forgiveness  of  our  debts,  but  He 
does  not  say  hozv  often  a  sinful  man  may  use  the  prayer.  What 
He  does  is  to  assign  us,  as  it  were,  a  place  before  the  im- 
measurable storehouse  of  the  divine  mercy,  and  permit  us 
every  day  and  every  hour  to  return  to  it  and  receive  a  fresh 
supply.  Would  it  be  wonderful  if  men  were  indiscreet  enough 
to  abuse  the  privilege  ?  To  guard  against  this.  He  has  an- 
nexed a  clause  to  the  petition  which  may  well  deter  the  rash  \ 
for  it  is  "  as  we  forgive  our  debtor s.^^  I  am  certain  that  wholly, 
and  from  the  inmost  heart,  to  forgive  one  who  has  done  us  an 
injury,  is  an  act  of  which  he  only  is  capable  who  has  himself 

1  Rom.  X.  12. 


38.    The  Lord's  Prayer.  221 

received  unmerited  mercy  in  Christ  Jesus  ;  and  for  that  reason 
I  also  believe  that  it  will  not  be  so  easy  to  abuse  this  petition. 
For  myself,  when  I  utter  it,  I  set  before  my  mind's  eye  my 
bitterest  enemies — those  who  have  done  me  the  most  crying 
injustice — and  I  ask  myself  if  I  am  wholly  pure  and  free  from 
hatred  and  resentment,  and  kindly-affectioned  towards  them. 
And  if  I  be  conscious  that  this  is  the  case,  I  then  say,  "  O 
Love  Eternal,  like  other  men  I  have  by  nature  a  heart  to  which 
rancour  and  revenge  are  sweet.  Now,  however,  I  find  that  Thy 
Spirit  has  given  me  a  placable  heart,  and  that  there  is  really 
no  one  on  earth  against  whom  I  bear  a  grudge,  or  on  whom  I 
long  to  be  revenged ;  and  therefore  with  full  confidence  I  Hft 
my  eyes  to  Thee,  and  implore  Thee  to  forgive  me  my  debts, 

"  And  lead  us  not  into  temptationJ^  Observe  in  how  brotherly 
a  way  the  Saviour  has  here  again  condescended  to  our  frailty. 
Already  has  He  provided  us  with  weapons  sufficient  for  our 
defence  against  temptation,  and  our  deliverance  from  the  fear 
of  being  injured  by  it  \  so  that  His  apostle  writes,  "  Count  it  all 
joy  when  ye  fall  into  divers  temptations."  ^  Nevertheless,  so 
wholly  does  He  here  enter  into  the  infirmity  of  our  flesh,  that 
He  permits  us  to  pray,  "Lead  us  not  into  temptation."  When, 
therefore,  I  take  this  petition  into  my  lips,  I  figure  to  myself 
the  thousand  snares  of  ambition,  avarice,  luxury,  anger,  and 
malice  which  beset  the  path  I  daily  tread  \  I  reflect  how  many 
and  how  diverse  are  the  sharp  rods  and  fiery  furnaces  which 
the  heavenly  Father  has  at  His  disposal,  such  as  tedious  sick- 
ness, disgrace,  contempt  in  the  eyes  of  men,  misunderstand- 
ings with  those  whom  we  best  love;  and  I  thus  learn  how 
averse  my  heart  is  to  the  cross,  and  how  timidly  I  shrink  from 
it  in  every  shape.  I  reflect  also  on  the  many  wiles  of  Satan, 
and  the  gross  errors  by  which  even  the  strong-minded  may  be 
induced  to  forsake  Christ ;  and  then  I  cannot  help  thanking 
God  from  the  very  bottom  of  my  soul,  that  by  His  dear  Son 
He  has  permitted  us  to  come  before  Him  with  the  prayer, 
"  Lead  us  not  into  temptation."  It  is  a  prayer  so  suitable  to 
1  James,  i.  2. 


222  39-  ^^^2  with  you  alway. 

our  condition,  continually  reminding  us  that  here,  in  this  world 
of  time,  we  walk  as  upon  glass,  while  at  the  same  time  it  in- 
spires us  with  confidence  that  we  shall  not  be  subjected  to  too 
severe  a  trial.  "  He  tempers  the  wind  to  the  shorn  lamb." 
And  as  He  permits  us  to  pray,  "  Lead  us  not  into  temptation," 
certainly,  if  He  do  suffer  us  to  be  tempted.  He  will  also  make 
for  us  a  way  of  escape,  that  we  may  be  able  to  bear  it.^ 

^''  But  deliver  us  from  evilP  "I  still,"  says  the  man  of  prayer 
already  mentioned,  "  have  temptation  on  my  mind,  and  think 
how  easily  man  may  be  seduced  and  turned  aside  from  the 
straight  way.  At  the  same  time  I  also  think  of  all  the  miseries  of 
life — of  consumption,  old  age,  madness,  and  the  thousand  woes 
and  heartaches  which  infest  the  world  and  torture  and  plague 
the  poor  and  helpless  children  of  men ;  and  if  my  tears  have 
not  already  flowed,  they  now  come  for  certain,  and  with  all  my 
heart  I  could  wish  to  be  away,  and  feel  sad  and  downcast  as  if 
there  were  no  deliverance.  But  then  we  must  take  courage 
afresh,  lay  our  hand  upon  our  lips,  and,  as  if  in  triumph,  pro- 
ceed to  say,  '  For  Thine  is  the  kingdom,  and  the  power,  and 
the  glory,  for  ever.     Amen.'  " 


39. 

E  am  iBit]^  s^w  alirrag. 

You  say  that  one  no  longer  knows  if  now 

The  Church  on  earth  exists; 
And  yet  the  offspring  of  her  zvomb  art  thou, 

And  suckling  of  her  breasts. 
How  can  the  child,  who  life  from  her  receives, 
Doubt  for  a  moment  that  the  mother  lives  f 

Psalm  xii.  i.    "  Help,  Lord,  for  the  godly  man  ceaseth. 
1  I  Cor.  X.  13. 


'^(^^lamwithyotcalway.  223 

Matt.  xvi.  18.  "Thou  art  Peter,  and  upon  this  rock  I  will 
build  my  Church,  and  the  gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail 
against  it." 

Matt,  xxviii.  20.  "  Lo,  I  am  with  you  alway,  even  unto  the 
end  of  the  world." 

I  AM  a  member  of  that  society  of  the  saints  of  God  which 
descended  from  pious  Abel  to  Moses,  and  from  Moses  to 
the  little  flock  selected  by  the  Lord  out  of  the  chosen  people 
— Israel  according  to  the  flesh — that  He  might  lay  them  for 
the  foundation  of  a  holy  fabric,  which  reaches  unto  eternity. 
I  am  inserted,  and  feel  so  grateful  and  blessed  in  the  consci- 
ousness of  the  fact,  as  a  stone  in  the  temple,  of  which  the 
corner-stone,  elect  and  precious,  is  Jesus,  the  Son  of  the  living 
God.  I  am  a  shoot  imbibing  its  sap  from  a  vine-stock,  on 
which  beside  me,  as  fruitful  branches,  grow  a  Luther,  a  Calvin, 
a  Tauler,  an  A  Kempis,  an  Augustine,  a  Chrysostom,  a  Paul, 
and  a  John.  And  even  if  around  me  here,  in  the  present, 
"  the  godly  men  had  ceased  "  far  more  than  is  the  case,  oh 
how  innumerable  are  the  hosts  of  those  who  have  gone  before 
me,  and  with  whom  I  hold  fellowship  in  faith  and  love  and 
hope  !  Yes,  even  although  I  could  do  nothing  but  sit  by  the 
rivers  of  Babylon,  and  mourn  and  weep  that  the  walls  of  Zion 
have  been  broken  down,  oh  let  me  have  but  faith — the  faith 
which  sees  that  which  is  invisible — and  then  at  once  I  become 
aware  that  I  am  one  with  the  hundreds  of  thousands  who 
before  me  have  sowed  in  tears,  but  who  are  now  before  the 
throne  of  the  Lamb,  and  are  bringing  in  their  sheaves  with 
joy.  "  The  dead  live  unto  God;''  so  then,  O  Luther,  you  and 
Tauler,  and  Chrysostom,  and  John,  and  Paul,  are  not  dead.  You 
are  still  alive  in  the  world  unseen,  and  my  soul,  soaring  aloft 
on  the  wings  of  faith,  can  hold  converse  with  you.  Yes,  and 
your  word  still  abides  with  us ;  and  upon  it,  as  a  living  bridge 
stretching  across  all  the  barriers  of  time  and  space,  your  spirits 
can  find  their  way  to  ours,  and  ours  to  yours.  When  I  read 
thy  Epistles,  O  holy  Paul,  and  thy  books  on  the  Imitation  of 


224  39-  I  ci7n  with  yotc  alway. 

Jesus  Christ,  O  beloved  A  Kempis,  I  need  but  to  figure  to 
myself  that  you  still  sojourn  here  on  earth,  and  that  they  were 
all  written  as  epistles  to  me. 

It  would,  however,  be  a  very  narrow  view,  and  the  mere 
effect  of  melancholy,  were  a  Christian,  especially  in  these  days 
of  ours,  to  cast  his  eyes  to  some  remote  boundary  of  time  and 
space,  in  order  to  realise  his  fellowship  with  a  great  Church. 
So  narrow  a  view  would  be  circumscribed  within  his  own  im- 
mediate sphere,  and  probably  would  not  penetrate  very  deeply 
even  there.  Verily  the  Church  of  Christ  does  exist  here  on 
earth.  It  is  in  the  midst  of  us,  and  lue  are  in  it.  Did  not  the 
Church  give  me  birth  ?  Is  she  not  the  mother  of  my  faith  ? 
Was  it  not  in  her  bosom  that  I  found  the  Holy  Scriptures? 
Have  I  not  received  the  words  of  life  from  the  lips  of  her 
living  members  ?  So  long  as  the  Church  of  Christ  on  earth 
continues  to  be  the  ark  of  the  covenant  in  which  the  testi- 
mony of  the  divine  word  is  preserved,  so  long  as  she  has 
strength  enough  to  bring  forth  children  from  her  womb,  and  to 
suckle  them  at  her  breasts,  how  is  it  possible  that  they  who 
are  her  offspring  and  sucklings  can  ever  despair  of  her  life? 
To  the  Twelve  when  here  below,  weak  in  faith,  destitute  of 
strength,  and  with  a  traitor  in  the  midst  of  them,  the  Word  of 
Life  proclaimed  that  the  gates  of  hell  should  never  prevail 
against  His  Church ;  and  now,  after  the  Church  has  subdued 
continents,  and  from  century  to  century  has  demolished  the 
temples  of  idolatry,  has  preached  the  Gospel  to  the  poor  of 
every  tongue  and  kindred,  and  made  a  prey  of  the  strong, 
ought  we  now  to  despair  of  her  existence  ?  No  doubt  the  poet 
sings,— 

"  With  love  to  us  o'erflowing, 
The  bitter  cross  He  bore  ; 
And  now  His  name^s  forgottcii, 
Men  think  of  Him  no  more." 

But  let  a  man  attempt  to  figure  to  himself,  if  he  can,  the  pos- 
sibility of  that  name  which  is  above  every  name — the  name  of 
Jesus — dying  out  and  behig  forgotten  upon  the  earth  !     From 


39-  lamwithyoicalway.  225 

the  total  impossibility  of  even  fancying  such  a  thing,  we  learn 
that  faith  in  the  ittwiortality  of  a  Christ  dwells  indestructibly 
in  the  heart  of  him  to  whose  inward  eye  His  image  has  once 
been  revealed. 

The  congregation  of  the  Lord,  it  is  true,  has  at  many  a  time 
walked  the  earth  in  very  unsightly  raiment ;  but  did  not  her 
royal  Head,  while  sojourning  here  below ^  likewise  wear  the 
beggar's  garb  ?  and  did  not  then  His  regal  look,  without  the 
help  of  diadem  or  sceptre,  evince  Him  to  be  a  King?  And, 
in  truth,  in  spite  of  her  mean  attire,  never  has  the  congrega- 
tion of  His  people  wholly  lacked  the  same  regal  look;  for 
with  what  other  weapon  could  she  have  overthrown  her  foes  ? 
What,  indeed,  is  the  Church  in  her  living  members  if  not  the 
Lord  Christ  come  back  to  His  disciples,  according  to  the  pro- 
mise, not  to  "  leave  them  comfortless  "  ?  She  is  His  body^  and 
through  it  we  can  visibly  recognise  Himself,  as  we  do  the  soul 
out  of  expressive  eyes.  The  Church  is  now  sojourning  here 
below,  as  once  did  her  Lord,  in  a  state  of  humiliation.  As  it 
stands  before  us,  it  is  but  an  intermediate  fabric  between 
heaven  and  earth,  without  which  we  would  lose  the  sight  of 
heaven,  and  earth  would  cease  to  be  of  any  significance.  The 
sun  stands  behind  the  clouds,  and  its  light  reaches  us  only  in 
broken  rays ;  but  a  day  is  coming  in  which  the  clouds  shall  be 
dispersed,  and  then  shall  the  King  himself  appear  in  glory, 
and  His  kingdom  likewise  be  glorified  along  with  Him. 

It  is  with  the  Church  collectively  as  with  her  individual 
members.  Her  way  lies  through  the  night  of  error  and  sin ; 
the  gold  is  mingled  with  dross,  and  the  conflicts  and  tribula- 
tions of  time  are  the  crucibles  prepared  to  purge  the  dross 
away.  Even  in  mines  the  metal  is  seldom  found  pure  and 
unalloyed ;  generally  it  is  dispersed  in  veins  through  the  mass 
that  contains  it.  The  same  is  the  case  with  the  individual 
Christian,  and  the  same  also  with  the  Christian  body  as  a 
whole.  Moreover,  it  often  happens  that  the  fairest  and  holiest 
products  of  the  Church  are  those  which  withdraw  from  the 
public  view.     In  this  respect  they  are  like  the  good  works  of 

P 


226  39-  I  cim  with  yott  alway, 

the  private  Christian,  in  which  the  left  hand  knoweth  not 
what  the  right  hand  doeth,  and  which  are  observed  by  no 
other  eye  but  that  which  seeth  in  secret.  As  nature  is  noisy 
only  when  it  rends,  but  silent  when  it  brings  forth;  so  in 
ecclesiastical  history  we  hear  far  more  of  destructive  commo- 
tions than  of  those  quiet  fruits  of  peace  which  faith  brings 
forth  in  the  interior  of  the  soul,  in  the  privacy  of  the  family 
circle,  and  among  persons  of  low  degree,  of  whom  history 
makes  no  mention.  But  he  who  would  distinctly  conceive 
how  fertilising  must  be  the  spiritual  rain  with  which  the 
Church  has  watered  the  fields  of  the  world  needs  only  to  ask 
himself,  What  would  I  have  been  if  all  the  blossoms  and  fruits 
which  the  breath  of  my  Master's  Spirit  has  evoked  were  to  be 
subtracted  from  my  life?  Can  I  for  a  moment  doubt  that 
what  His  Spirit  has  been  and  done  to  me  individually,  it  has 
no  less  been  and  done  to  the  Church  as  a  whole  ? 

For  the  rest,  if  at  any  time  I  find  myself  brooding  in 
ignorant  despondency  over  the  fact  that  the  godly  man 
ceaseth  and  that  the  kingdom  of  God  does  not  come  with 
power,  I  try  to  imbibe  strength  from  the  thought  that  it  is 
quite  the  same  whether  the  Spirit  descends  upon  many  in 
drops  and  rivulets  or  upon  few  in  great  streams.  And  how  if 
it  be  that  the  few  who  in  particular  localities  lament  the  ruin 
of  Zion  are  endeavouring  to  be  all  the  more  amply  replenished 
with  the  might  and  gifts  of  the  Spirit,  being  stimulated  thereto 
by  the  distress  which  they  feel?  Their  distress  thus  becomes 
the  means  by  which  the  kingdom  of  God  may  be  brought  to 
such  places  in  all  the  plenitude  of  its  riches  and  power.  Ah 
me  !  would  that  our  lamentation  over  the  ruin  of  God's  king- 
dom were  always  to  turn  into  activity  in  building  it  up  ! 

Lord,  hitherto  Thou  hast  been  with  us,  and  zvilt  continue  to 
abide  with  us  until  the  end  of  the  world.  Oh  give  us  eyes  of 
faith  to  look  steadily  at  the  sun,  even  though  its  light  shine 
through  the  clouds  only  in  broken  beams  !  Never,  Almighty 
God,  wilt  Thou  lack  stones  for  the  temple  which  it  is  Thy 
will  to  build  up  out  of  sinful  humanity  !     Help  me,  that  to  the 


40.   They  conti7itied  steadfastly  in  FcllowsJiip.      227 

praise  of  Thy  glorious  grace  I  too  may  be  a  living  stone  in  the 
part  of  it  where  Thou  hast  been  pleased  to  assign  to  me  a 
place  !  Help  mie  to  understand  what  gifts  I  have  received. 
Doubtless  many  more  have  been  conferred  upon  me  than  I 
either  know  of  or  employ.  Forbid  that  I  should  neglect  or 
dream  any  of  them  away.  Forbid  that,  in  thinking  of  others, 
I  should  forget  myself,  or  forget  what  Thou  hast  already  done 
for  me.  How  shouldst  not  Thou  be  able  to  lift  up  Thy 
Church  from  the  depths,  and  set  it  on  high,  seeing  Thou  hast 
rescued  myself  from  so  deep  a  pit  ? 

Through  this  dark  world  of  sin  and  woe, 
A  helpless  little  flock  we  go, 

And  seem  of  low  degree ; 
But  let  the  royal  Bridegroom  come 
To  wed  the  bride  and  take  her  home, 

And  who  so  blest  as  she? 

Here  stood  the  Sun  of  Life  concealed, 
And  through  the  mists  its  face  that  veiled 

Faint  fell  on  earth  the  rays. 
There  full  disclosed  it  stands,  and  bright ; 
No  lowering  clouds  obstruct  its  light, 

And  bliss  is  in  its  blaze. 


EJieg  C0tttinueti  steatifastig  in  Jelloirrsj^ip, 

Gather  the  coals  together  well, 

And  each  will  help  the  blaze  to  swell. 

Acts,  ii.  42.  "  They  continued  steadfastly  in  the  apostles' 
doctrine  and  fellowship,  and  in  breaking  of  bread,  and  in 
prayers." 

Matt,  xviii.  20.  "Where  two  or  three  are  gathered  together 
in  my  name,  there  am  I  in  the  midst  of  them." 


228        40-   They  continued  steadfastly  in  Fellowship. 

Heb,  X.  25.     ''Not  forsaking  the  assembling  of  ourselves 
together,  as  the  manner  of  some  is." 

OH  how  blessed  an  assemblage  it  must  have  been,  when, 
in  the  early  days  after  Pentecost,  the  apostles  and  the 
three  thousand  met  together  with  one  accord  !  ^  "  One  Lord, 
one  faith,  one  baptism,"  was  no  doubt  the  word  which  echoed 
perpetually  through  all  their  hearts.  They  were  brothers., 
which  is  more  than  good  friends.  It  means  blood-relations ; 
and  such  they  were,  for  the  Lord  had  sprinkled  them  with 
His  blood,  and  put  one  and  the  same  Spirit  into  their  hearts, 
just  as  it  is  one  blood  that  flows  in  the  veins  of  those  who  are 
kinsmen.  "  Every  one  that  loveth  Him  that  begat,  loveth 
him  also  that  is  begotten  of  Him,"  says  Sfjohn.^  He  who 
begat  me  to  a  new  life  is  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ :  and  being, 
as  I  am.  His  child,  I  have  also  in  me  some  portion  of  His 
Spirit.  How  then  should  I  not  love  those  who  have  also  been 
begotten  of  Him,  and  who  partake  of  the  same  Spirit  as  my- 
self? These  early  Christians  loved  each  other,  and  their  fel- 
lowship in  the  Spirit  drew  them  together,  as  the  members  of 
one  body  cannot  brook  to  be  separated.  They  continued,  it 
is  said,  in  the  apostles'  doctrine^  and  doubtless  must  have  con- 
versed at  large  about  all  which  the  apostles  told  them  respect- 
ing the  Lord;  and  xw fellowship.,  which  certainly  means  com- 
munity of  goods,  as  it  is  afterwards  called ;  ^  and  in  breaking 
of  bread.^  or  in  other  words  partaking  of  the  Holy  Supper,  in 
which  their  absent  Master  became  once  more  present,  and 
gave  Himself  to  them ;  and  in  prayers,  in  which  they  gave 
vent  to  the  sentiments  inspired  by  their  common  fellowship  in 
the  Lord.  As  they  had  all  their  earthly  possessions  and  goods 
in  common,  they,  no  doubt,  likewise  shared  with  each  other 
their  spiritual  joys  and  sorrows ;  and  this  brother  would  say  to 
that,  "  Such  was  the  way  in  which  the  Lord  dealt  with  me,"  or 
"  It  was  thus  that  I  found  grace;"  so  that  doubtless  what  the 
poet  says  was  true  of  them — 

1  Acts,  ii.  46,  2  I  John,  v.  i.  3  Acts,  ii.  45. 


40.   They  coiithiiied  steadfastly  in  Fellowship.        229 

' '  The  wondrous  story,  ever  new, 
Scarce  finished  is  again  begun, 
How  Jesus  was  so  kind  and  true, 
And  for  us  all  redemption  won. 

How  first  He  woke  our  hearts,  when  dead, 

With  messages  of  weal  or  woe  ; 
And  ever  since  has  safely  led, 

And  showed  us  the  good  way  to  go. 

His  gracious  presence  then  is  felt. 

The  Spirit  breathes,  our  bosoms  burn  ; 
Our  hearts  with  sacred  ardour  melt. 

Our  prayers  to  grateful  anthems  turn. " 


That  was  indeed  a  blessed  fellowship;  and  for  fellowship 
of  the  same  open  and  brotherly  kind  who  among  us  does  not 
long  ?  How  many  there  are  who  at  the  social  board  have  sung 
of  men's  common  brotherhood,  and  caught  enthusiasm  from 
the  strain  !  But  it  is  a  strain  which  they  sing  by  lamp-light 
and  over  their  wine.  The  sentiment  which  is  expressed  attains 
to  perfect  truth  only  in  Christ.  Mutually  related  as  we  are, 
even  as  descendants  of  Adam,  we  cannot  live  wholly  apart  from 
each  other.  Nothing  but  sin  has  separated  us,  and  none  but 
He  who  bruises  the  head  of  the  old  serpent  can  unite  us  again 
in  genuine  brotherhood.  Can  there  be  any  one  who  has  never 
felt  how  the  sympathy  of  others  multiplies  joy  and  mitigates 
sorrow  ?  and  in  the  domain  of  religion  this  is  doubly  and  trebly 
true.  Prayer  and  meditation  upon  God  come  so  reluctantly 
from  my  heart  when  I  pray  and  meditate  alone,  but  seem  as  if 
they  were  winged  when  hundreds  begin  to  pray  and  sing  along 
with  me,  and  seal  the  same  confession  with  one  general  Amen. 
I  often  think  of  the  negro  woman  who  was  once  asked  by  the 
governor  of  Surinam  why  she  and  her  fellows  always  prayed 
together.  Could  they  not  do  it  each  one  for  himself?  He 
happened  to  be  standing  at  the  time  before  a  coal-fire,  and  the 
woman  answered  :  "  Dear  sir,  separate  these  coals  from  each 
other,  and  the  fire  will  go  out ;  but  see  how  brisk  the  flame 
when  they  burn  together."     From  the  mere  circumstance  that 


230        40-   They  continued  steadfastly  in  Fellowship. 

when  in  fellowship  with  others  our  hearts  grow  warm,  we  can 
easily  understand  what  the  Saviour  means  when  He  says, 
"  Where  two  or  three  are  gathered  together  in  my  name,  there 
am  I  in  the  midst  of  them."  And  again,  "  If  two  of  you  shall 
agree  on  earth  as  touching  anything  that  they  shall  ask,  it  shall 
be  done  for  them  of  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven."  ^  This, 
says  a  devout  man,  is  as  when  the  whole  children  of  a  family 
take  heart,  and  with  one  accord  beseech  the  father  for  a  boon. 
It  is  then  far  harder  for  him  to  refuse. 

Awakened  souls  largely  enjoy  the  privilege  of  fellowship,  and 
there  are  not  many  who  dechne  intercourse  with  those  to  whom 
they  are  spiritually  related.  Any  who  do  it  have  either  already 
fallen  or  are  about  to  fall  into  a  morbid  state  of  mind ;  for 
as  man  naturally  depends  upon  his  fellow-men,  so  does  the 
Christian  upon  his  fellow-Christians.  Does  not  each  member 
of  the  body  stand  in  need  of  the  rest  ?  How  much  of  what 
is  good  we  learn — how  much  of  what  is  not  good  we  get  rubbed 
away,  by  communing  with  other  minds  !  The  Lord  has  vouch- 
safed His  Spirit,  not  to  this  or  that  member,  but  to  the  body  of 
His  Church,  in  order  that  each  in  particular  may  share  with 
the  rest  what  has  been  given  to  the  whole.  They  who  isolate 
themselves  usually  do  it  from  a  secret  pride ;  their  obstinacy 
and  caprice  will  not  submit  to  receive  instruction  from  others. 
If,  however,  even  in  worldly  business,  it  be  true  that 

He  who  pretends  himself  to  school, 
Has  for  his  scholar  got  o-fool, 

the  truth  of  the  proverb  is  shown  by  still  more  serious  conse- 
quences in  spiritual  affairs.  No  doubt  the  Holy  Spirit,  as  im- 
parted to  individual  believers,  teaches  them  many  a  lesson ; 
but  that  the  Spirit  of  the  Church  is  of  still  higher  authority, 
may  be  learned  from  the  saying  of  the  Lord,^  that  if  a  sinner 
shall  neglect  to  hear  his  brother,  the  brother  is  to  take  one  or 
two  more ;  and  if  he  neglect  to  hear  them,  the  matter  is  to  be 
reported  to  the  Church;  but  if  he  neglect  to  hear  the  Church, 

1  Matt,  xviii.  19.  ^  Matt,  xviii.  17. 


40.   They  continued  steadfastly  in  Fellowship.        231 

he  is  to  be  looked  upon  as  a  heathen  7na7i  and  a  publican. 
Hence,  if  we  anywhere  find  true  Christians  in  a  state  of 
estrangement  from  each  other,  we  have  to  admonish  them  in 
the  words — 

Children  of  God,  if  gentle  charity, 

Parent  of  concord,  in  your  bosoms  dwell, 
Why  let  the  separate  flames  grow  faint  and  die, 

And  not  unite  one  common  blaze  to  swell? 
Knit  to  one  head,  and  members  of  each  other, 
Let  brother  give  a  friendly  hand  to  brother. 

And  no  doubt  those  whose  souls  are  awake,  are  glad  to  im- 
prove the  blessing  which  drops  from  heaven  when  brethren  dwell 
together  in  unity  ^  and  edify  one  another.  On  that  account,  how- 
ever, they  are  all  the  more  prone  to  forego  another  blessing — 
the  blessing  that  flows  from  fellowship  with  the  Church  univer- 
sal, which  is  Christ's  body,  and  from  the  Church's  public  wor- 
ship. Are  there  not  at  present  many  who  cry  aloud  that  there 
are  few  true  Christians,  not  merely  among  those  who  hear,  but 
even  among  those  who  preach  ?  Now,  it  may  not  be  right  to 
spread  a  white  salve  over  all  the  afflictions  of  Joseph ;  such 
concealment  was  of  old  practised  by  the  false  prophets,  and  the 
Lord  censures  them  for  it.^  But  neither,  on  the  other  hand, 
is  it  right  to  judge  so  harshly,  as  many  are  wont  to  do,  of  a 
Christian  assembly  who  meet  for  divine  worship.  For  one 
thing,  it  may  fairly  be  asked.  What  brought  these  worshippers 
to  church  ?  Certainly  it  was  not  flesh  and  blood,  but  must 
have  been  the  Holy  Spitit  more  than  anything  else.  This 
surely  we  may  affirm,  and  especially  in  the  present  day,  when 
the  number  ^Yvo  frequent  the  church  is  so  much  smaller  than 
used  in  former  times  to  be  the  case.  And  even  though  we 
may  have  to  admit  that,  among  them,  this  individual  or  that 
exhibits  no  other  mark  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  still  if  he  does  go  to 
kneel  along  with  thee  and  thy  brethren  in  the  faith,  wilt  thou 
attempt  to  hinder  him  ?  Is  not  the  weak  believer  still  a  be- 
liever, as  much  as  the  weak  member  is  still  a  member  of  the 

1  Psalm  cxxxiii.  i.  ^  Jer.  viii.  11  ;  vi.  14. 


232       40-    They  continued  steadfastly  ill  Fellowship. 

body  ?  May  he  not  apply  to  himself  what  Luther  says  of  the 
whole  Church?  "The  true  Church  is  that  which  prays,  and 
prays  with  earnestness  and  faith,  '  Forgive  tis  our  debts  as  we 
forgive  our  debtors.^  The  true  Church  is  that  which,  even  in 
the  present  life,  receives,  not  indeed  the  tithes,  and  far  less  the 
full  harvest,  but  at  least  \hQ  first  fruits  of  the  Spirit."  May  not, 
then,  the  weak  believer  call  upon  you  to  give  him  credit  for  as 
much  as  this  saying  affirms,  seeing  that,  while  in  the  holy  place, 
and  at  such  a  time,  his  heart  is  with  God  and  the  Saviour  ? 
In  this  way  it  is  that,  even  in  our  day,  a  stream  of  spiritual  in- 
fluence still  flows  through  each  of  our  worshipping  assemblies, 
although  it  may  here  and  there  light  upon  many  a  shallow 
spot. 

You  complain  that  the  preachers  are  dumb  dogs,  and  that 
you  cannot  derive  from  their  discourses  any  sense  of  your  fel- 
lowship with  the  body  of  Christ.  And  much  is  it  to  be 
deplored  when  the  preacher  forgets  the  admonition  of  the 
Lord,  "  The  prophet  which  hath  a  dream,  let  him  tell  a  dream  ; 
and  he  that  hath  my  word,  let  him  speak  my  word  faithfully."  ^ 
Nor  can  any  doubt  that  a  Christian  sermon  is  a  precious  thing. 
But  when  the  Psalmist  exclaimed,  ^^  I  had  gone  with  the  multi- 
tude ;  I  went  with  them  to  the  house  of  God,  with  the  voice  of  Joy 
and  praise,  with  a  multitude  that  kept  holyday,''  ^  it  was  at  the 
beauty  of  the  worship  of  God's  house  ^  that  he  rejoiced;  and 
yet  that,  at  the  time,  included  no  sermon.  Neither  do  we  read 
that  any  sermon  was  preached  when  the  apostles  met  together 
with  one  accord  at  Jerusalem.  The  things  mentioned  are  just 
what  we  may  equally  enjoy  in  every  good  evangelical  church. 
They  were  the  ^^  apostles'  doct?Hne'' — which  we  have,  as  often 
as  a  passage  from  the  Word  of  God  or  the  Confession  of 
Faith  in  the  Liturgy  is  read  to  the  congregation.  There  was 
the  ^^  breaking  of  bread i""  and  this  also  is  ours,  with  the  seal 
of  the  divine  promise,  which  no  minister,  however  unworthy, 
can  undo  ;  and  there  were  ^^ prayers^'  which  we  also  can  offer 
everywhere,  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ.     Even,  therefore, 

1  Jer.  xxiii,  28.  ^  Psalm  xlii.  4.  3  Psalm  xxvii.  4. 


40.  They  continued  steadfastly  in  Fellowship.       233 

although  a  minister  may  forget  his  divine  vocation,  and  mingle 
hay  and  straw  and  wood  with  the  pure  gold  of  the  Gospel,  still, 
so  long  as  a  congregation  has  the  Word  of  God,  and  a  Chris- 
tian Liturgy,  and  a  Christian  Hymn  and  Prayer  Book,  it  ceases 
not  to  be  a  branch  of  the  one  Holy  Church  of  Christ,  for  that, 
as  the  Augsburg  Confession  of  Faith  declares,  is,  The  assem- 
blage of  all  faithful  men,  among  whom  the  Gospel  is  preached  in 
purity,  and  the  holy  sacraments  are  administered  according  to  the 
scriptural  ride. 

If  there  be  in  these  days  of  ours  many  Christians  who  derive 
little  benefit  from  the  pubhc  worship  of  God,  the  sole  reason 
is  that  they  do  not  take  with  them  to  church  the  eyes  of  faith. 
If  they  did,  it  could  not  be  that  so  much  of  the  Word  of  God 
as  is  still  to  be  heard  in  the  worship  of  at  least  the  most  of  our 
congregations  would  remain  without  a  blessing.  They  also  err 
in  fixing  their  attention  exclusively  upon  this  or  that  one  of 
their  fellow-worshippers,  or  upon  themselves;  whereas,  when 
worshipping  in  the  house  of  God,  our  spiritual  eye  ought  not 
to  rest  upon  the  neighbour  on  our  right  hand  or  him  on  our 
left,  or  even  to  be  confined  to  the  one  little  flock  around  us. 
Rather  ought  it  to  take  in  the  great  body  of  which  that  flock 
is  but  a  member.  Oh  what  a  marvellous  and  delightful 
power  would  be  shed  upon  many  feeble  Christians  in  these 
days,  could  they  but  thoroughly  learn,  when  in  the  presence 
of  God,  to  offer  and  to  do  all  that  they  ofl"er  and  do  not  merely 
as  isolated  individuals,  nor  with  an  eye  to  other  individuals 
isolated  like  themselves,  but  under  the  conviction  that  their 
praises  and  their  prayers,  their  struggles  and  conflicts,  take 
place  at  all  times  in  fellowship  with  all  the  other  members  of 
the  vast  body  !  This  fellowship  is  beautifully  described  by 
Luther  in  the  following  words :  "  So,  then,  every  Christian 
has  the  comfort  of  knowing  that  when  the  devil  assaults  him, 
he  assaults  not  merely  a  finger,  but  the  whole  body  of  the 
Church — that  is  to  say,  all  the  Christians  in  the  world,  yea, 
God  and  Christ  besides  ;  for  it  belongs  to  their  oneness,  that 
there  is  no  part  or  member  that  lives  and  feels  for  itself  alone, 


234      41-  How  long  halt  ye  between  two  Opinions  ? 

and  does  not  share  the  life  and  feeUng  of  all  the  rest — that  is 
to  say,  of  the  whole  body.  Wherever,  then,  the  humblest 
member  in  Christendom  suffers,  the  whole  body  feels  and 
bestirs  itself.  All  run  at  once,  and  complain  and  cry,  and 
then  Christ  our  Lord  hears  and  feels  it ;  and  though  He  may 
refrain  for  a  little,  yet,  when  He  begins  to  look  angry  and 
scornful,  it  will  be  no  jest;  for  thus  He  speaks  by  the  mouth 
of  the  prophet  Zechariah,  ^  He  that  toucheth  you,  toucheth  the 
apple  of  7)iine  eye' " ^ 

0  grant  me,  Lord,  that  in  my  fight 
With  foes  unseen  by  day  and  night, 
Whether  I  watch,  or  praise,  or  pray, 
Victor  or  vanquished,  still  I  may 

Know  myself  one  of  an  unnumbered  host. 
Nor  feel,  like  severed  branch,  my  labour  lost. 

When  singly  I  the  foe  provoke, 

1  fall  beneath  some  sudden  stroke 
Aimed  at  my  solitary  head  ; 

But  if  in  compact  rank  arrayed, 

I  fight  with  millions  at  my  side,  no  foe. 

Whoe'er  he  be,  has  power  to  lay  me  low. 


41. 

^oiB  l0ng  Jalt  ge  betirrent  ttoo  ©pinions? 

Alas  !  why  docs  my  heart  so  often  stray 
Far  from  its  rightful  Lord  f  I  hear  thee  say. 
But  tell  me,  e'er  to  Him  thy  vows  were  spoken, 
Hadst  thou  with  ALL  THY   FORMER   MASTERS   BROKEN  ? 
For  Christ  allegiance  will  accept  froj}i  none 
Who  do  not  first  all  other  lords  disown. 

I  Kings,  xviii.   21.  "Elijah  came  unto  all  the  people,  and 
said,  How  long  halt  ye  between  two  opinions?     If  the 

1  Zech.  ii.  8. 


41.  Hozv  long  halt yc  between  two  Opinions  ?      235 

Lord  be  God,  follow  Him :  but  if  Baal,  then  follow 
him." 
Matt.  vi.  24.  "  No  man  can  serve  two  masters  :  for  either 
he  will  hate  the  one,  and  love  the  other ;  or  else  he  will 
hold  to  the  one,  and  despise  the  other.  Ye  cannot  serve 
God  and  mammon." 

I  MUST  come  to  a  clear  decision  of  the  question,  Who  is 
to  have  the  government  of  my  life  ?  Alas  !  I  have 
hitherto  had  too  many  masters,  and  not  one  supreme ;  for  how 
can  I  affirm  that  any  one  is  my  master  whose  commandments 
are  not  the  rule  by  which  I  walk  ?  Every  morning  we  ought 
afresh  calmly  and  clearly  to  determine  who  our  rightful  master 
is,  and  then  ttir?i  our  back  to  the  world,  and  our  face  to  Christ. 
Unless  we  have  firmly  and  unalterably  resolved  on  this,  it  will 
from  time  to  time  happen,  that  when  the  world  issues  its 
commands  on  the  right  hand,  and  Christ  His  on  the  left,  we 
will  sometimes  hold  to  the  one  master  and  despise  the 
other,  and  sometimes  love  the  one  and  hate  the  other.  In 
nothing  have  I  experienced  the  truth  of  this  so  much  as  in 
the  matter  of  men-pleasing.  It  is  amazing  how  much  our 
thoughts  and  purposes  and  whole  position  depend  upon  our 
fellow-men.  Even  the  influence  that  the  place  and  time  at 
which  we  happen  to  live  exert  upon  our  opinions  and  acts,  is 
ultimately  determined  by  some  particular  person.  When,  for 
example,  I  figure  myself  residing  in  another  neighbourhood, 
and  among  other  influential  people,  I  have  the  conviction  that 
then  many  things  would  appear  to  me  in  a  very  different  light 
from  that  in  which  I  see  them  now.  Does  not  much  of  the 
disquietude  of  the  soul  originate  in  the  circumstance,  that 
instead  of  seeking  to  please  one,  we  seek  to  please  many  ?  In 
this  way  we  become  too  external,  and  the  quiet  and  sacred 
fire,  which  ought  ever  to  burn  for  God  upon  the  altar  of  the 
heart,  is  extinguished. 

Whoever  tries  all  men  to  please, 
Exhausts  his  strength,  is  ill  at  ease, 
And  God  displeases  still. 


236      41-  How  long  halt  ye  between  two  Opinions? 

Try,  then,  in  whatsoe'er  you  do, 
To  keep  all  right  'twixt  God  and  you, 
Let  MEN  say  what  they  will. 

Oh  that  we  could  but  remember  the  woe  uttered  by  the 
Saviour  when  He  said,  "  Woe  unto  you  when  all  men  shall  speak 
well  of  you  I  for  so  did  their  fathers  to  the  false  prophets P  ^ 
Even  the  common  experience  of  the  world  shows  us  that  it  is 
far  from  easy  to  please  all  men,  and  that  the  very  attempt  has 
quite  the  opposite  effect  of  not  pleasing  any.  According  to 
the  old  proverb — 

Attempt  to  please  all  men,  and  all 
With  one  accord  thee  fool  will  call. 

Why,  then,  should  we  surrender  ourselves  to  a  bondage  so 
disgraceful  as  that  of  subserviency  to  men  who  are  our  equals  ? 
The  only  true  freedom  is  in  serving  God,  and  Him  alone.  And 
if  subserviency  to  mefi  be  disgraceful,  how  much  greater  a  dis- 
grace it  must  be  to  be  the  slaves  of  sensual  gratification,  or  of 
gold,  or  worldly  goods  !  When  the  kingly  spirit  of  man,  who 
was  made  in  his  Maker's  likeness,  is  brought  into  bondage  by 
the  enticement  of  a  glass  of  wine  or  a  bit  of  metal,  O  image  of 
God  !  how  vilely  art  thou  then  trodden  in  the  dust ! 

But  much  also  depends  upon  knowing  the  will  of  God.  It 
is  a  very  painful  state  when  the  will  is  sincerely  set  upon  serv- 
ing Him,  and  when  at  the  same  time  we  do  not  know  how  to 
serve  Him  aright — when  we  ponder  on  this  side  and  that — 
when  our  thoughts,  as  if  at  war,  accuse,  or  else  excuse,  one 
another — and  yet,  after  the  whole  torment  of  choice  has  been 
gone  through,  we  find  ourselves  at  last  standing  in  the  middle 
between  right  and  left  quite  as  helpless  as  we  were  at  the 
beginning.  Surely  we  may  say  with  truth,  that  this  torm.ent  of 
choice  was  never  felt  in  Paradise. 

For  certain  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  never  needed  to  choose ; 

and  when  St  John  writes,  "Ye  have  an  unction  from  the  Holy 

One,  and  ye  know  all  things,"  ^  was  he  not  addressing  persons 

who  were  in  most  matters  also  exempt  from  the  same  irksome 

1  Luke,  vi.  26.  ^  i  John,  ii.  20. 


41.  How  long  Jialt ye  betiveen  two  Opinions  f      237 

necessity?  For  myself,  it  often  happens  that  I  stumble  from 
no  other  cause  than  uncertainty  about  the  way.  Perhaps  I 
cultivate  a  false  friendship  with  the  world,  solely  in  consequence 
of  unseasonable  reflection  upon  the  divine  command  to 
"  Follow  peace  with  all  men  ; "  or  I  run  in  the  same  course  as 
the  world,  because  the  apostle's  precept,  "  To  the  weak  became 
I  as  weak,  that  I  might  gain  the  weak,"  has  occurred  to  my 
mind  inopportunely.  If,  however,  the  only  cause  of  my  heart  be- 
ing divided  between  God  and  the  world  were  the  insufficiency 
of  my  knowledge  of  the  divine  will,  I  should  not  need  to  be  so 
much  afraid.  But  in  the  minds  of  many  who  are  certainly  far 
more  faithful  than  I,  there  is  a  hesitation  and  inward  disquiet 
which  originate  in  no  other  cause  save  that  they  often  lose  sight 
of  the  way;  and  this  is  a  case  in  which  it  is  far  from  easy 
to  advise. 

No  doubt  the  old  divines  have  laid  down  the  wholesome 
rule,  that  what  gives  the  flesh  most  pain,  brings  to  the  soul 
most  gain.  And  when  one  considers  the  cunning  devices  of 
the  flesh,  the  strange  kind  of  logic,  to  use  the  words  of  Luther, 
which  it  invents,  and  the  manifold  excuses  which  it  is  always 
ready  to  ofler,  it  may  well  appear  to  be  good  advice  that 

The  way  that  to  the  flesh  gives  pain, 
Is  that  whereby  we  heaven  shall  gain — 

at  the  same  time  that  is  not  so  absolutely  true.  It  cannot  be 
affirmed  that  in  every  case  of  a  choice  of  many  paths,  that  is  the 
best  which  is  most  painful  to  the  outer  man.  For  does  not 
St  Paul  enjoin  us  "to  make  provision  for  the  flesh,  but  not  to 
the  fulfilling  of  its  lusts  "  ?  ^  Neither  can  it  be  said  that  in 
every  case  the  best  way  is  that  which  is  most  offensive  to  the 
world ;  for  the  same  apostle  exhorts  us,  "  If  it  be  possible,  as 
much  as  lieth  in  you,  live  peaceably  with  all  men."  ^  In  such 
a  doubtful  case  some  will  tell  you  to  go  to  the  Bible  for  advice, 
others  will  recommend  prayer ;  and  these  are  things  which  are 
very  easily  said.  But  the  Bible  does  not  always  speak  dis- 
tinctly upon  particular  cases  ;  and  if,  when  we  begin  to  pray,  our 
1  Rom.  xiii.  14— Luther's  vers.  2  Rom.  xiii.  18. 


238      41-  How  long  halt  ye  betiveen  tivo  Opinions  ? 

heart  already  inclines  to  one  side,  it  is  certain  that  to  the  same 
side  will  our  prayers  also  bend.  As  the  shortest  way  to  avoid 
being  biassed  by  their  own  hearts,  pious  souls  have  sometimes 
had  recourse  to  the  lot.  For  this  they  can  plead  the  example 
of  the  apostles  and  the  saying  of  Solomon,  that  "the  lot 
causeth  contentions  to  cease,  and  parteth  between  the 
mighty."  ^  And  if  with  that  wise  monarch  we  must  affirm 
that  "the  lot  is  cast  into  the  lap,  but  the  whole  disposing 
thereof  is  of  the  Lord,"^  we  can  also  as  Httle  deny  that,  in  as 
far  as  the  matter  is  the  Lord's,  He  is  able  to  speak  by  means  of 
a  slip  of  paper  quite  as  well  as  He  once  did  by  the  mouth  of 
an  ass.  But  then  the  question  is,  whether  or  not  we  have  been 
enjoined  to  learn  what  He  says  from  the  mouth  of  an  ass,  and 
whether  or  not  by  such  an  attempt  we  do  not  cast  away  a  far 
nobler  gift  with  which  He  has  been  pleased  to  distinguish  us. 
What  if  it  was  His  will  to  make  ms  priests  ?  What  if  He  meant 
to  put  into  our  hearts  the  Urim  and  the  Thummim — the  Light 
and  Law — which  of  old  Aaron  bore  upon  his  breast  when  he 
went  in  before  the  Lord,  and  by  which  the  Lord  answered  his 
questions  ?  ^  As  we  are  priests  of  the  New  Testament,  my 
confident  belief  is,  that  that  is  what  the  Lord  will  do  to  tis  all. 
The  promise  which  He  made  of  old  to  the  prophets,  saying, 
"  Thou  shalt  call,  and  the  Lord  will  answer ;  thou  shalt  cry, 
and  He  shall  say,  Here  I  am,"  *  He  will  still  more  certainly 
fulfil  in  us.  The  apostle  Paul  writes  to  the  Philippians  :  ^  "  Let 
us  therefore,  as  many  as  be  perfect,  be  thus  minded ;  and  if  in 
anything  ye  be  otherwise  minded,  God  shall  reveal  even  this 
unto  you."  "  If  any  of  you  lack  wisdom,"  says  St  James,^  "  let 
him  ask  of  God,  who  giveth  to  all  men  liberally,  and  upbraid- 
eth  not,  and  it  shall  be  given  him ; "  and  St  John  '^  affirms, 
''  Ye  have  an  unction  from  the  Holy  One,  and  ye  know  all 
things."  It  is  the  Holy  Spirit  which  gives  a  man  this  priestly 
unction,  and  puts  into  his  heart  the  Light  and  Law,  and  with 

1  Prov.  xviii.  18.  ^  Prov.  xvi.  33.  ^  Exod.  xxviii.  30. 

4  Isa.  Iviii.  9.  ^  Phil.  iii.  15.  ^  James,  i.  5. 

7  I  John,  ii.  20. 


41.  How  long  halt  ye  between  tzvo  Opinions  f      239 

it  insight  as  to  what  he  ought  to  do  or  leave  undone.  There 
can  be  no  doubt  that  after  the  apostles  received  the  Spirit  they 
no  longer  had  recourse  to  the  lot ;  and  although  the  lot  may 
be  good  enough  for  souls  in  their  childhood,  it  is  good  only 
before  Pentecost.  If  the  Holy  Spirit  be  come,  it  then  behoves 
us  to  comply  with  the  apostle's  requirement,  and  to  ^^ p^ove 
what  is  the  good  and  acceptable  and  perfect  will  of  God."  ^ 
In  doing  this,  it  is  true,  we  may  often  go  wrong,  still  the  doing 
of  it  is  always  practice  ;  and  as  it  is  by  practice  that  in  other 
matters  we  obtain  proficiency,  so  here  also  is  it  by  "  use^'  that 
advanced  believers  "have  their  senses  exercised  to  discern 
both  good  and  evil."  ^  No  doubt  the  Lord  does  not  stand  on 
this  familiar  footing  with  mere  strangers  ;  He  does  it  only  with 
members  of  His  household — those  who  live  in  daily  felloivship 
with  Him,  and  who  in  all  matters  seek  His  advice  with  the 
docility  of  children.  For  so  He  tells  us  when  He  says,  "  Hence- 
forth I  call  you  not  servants  ;  for  the  servant  knoweth  not  what 
his  lord  doeth  :  but  I  have  called  you  friends ;  for  all  things 
that  I  have  heard  of  my  Father  I  have  made  known  unto 
you."  3 

Accordingly,  in  my  opinion,  there  are  two  things  which  ought 
to  be  taken  to  heart  by  those  who  desire  to  know  the  will  of 
God  aright,  in  order  in  all  things  to  serve  Him  alone.  In  the 
first  place,  it  seems  to  me  important  that  when  we  are  in  doubt 
and  enter  our  closets  to  inquire  of  Him,  we  should  go  with  an 
widistracted  heart,  and  be  silent  before  Him.  Come  and  bow 
down,  must  thou  say  to  thyself,  and  bring  before  the  face  of 
the  Omnipresent  thy  heart  in  a  calm  and  gentle  frame,  with 
no  bias  either  to  the  right  hand  or  the  left. 

Enter  thy  closet,  man,  for  there  the  Sun  of  Grace  shines  bright, 

And  there  God  opens  wide  His  heart,  to  give  Hfe,  joy,  and  light. 

You  only  intercept  the  rays  by  word  or  act  of  thine. 

Even  to  thy  thought  and  will  give  pause,  and  wait  th'  impulse  divine  ; 

Let  all  within  thee  for  the  time  be  hushed  in  calm  repose — 

'Tis  on  the  lake's  unruffled  breast  the  sun  its  image  throws. 


1  Rom.  xii.  2.  2  Heb.  v.  14.  3  John,  xv.  15. 


240      41-  How  long  halt  ye  between  two  Opinions  ? 

If  at  the  time  of  prayer  thy  heart  be  thus  a  placid  mirror,  then 
for  certain  the  answer  to  thy  petitions  will  not  come  from  t/iy- 
self^th.o\x  wilt  receive  it  from  the  Master. 

In  the  second  place,  it  is  by  "//j-^"  alone  that  we  acquire 
"  senses  exercised  to  discern  good  and  evil,"  and  hence  our 
rule  must  be  to  draw  from  God's  Word  more  mid  more  deeply 
every  day.  No  tree  falls  at  the  first  stroke,  and  "  to  him  that 
hath  shall  be  given."  Thou  wilt  thus  become  more  and  more 
sure  of  knowing  correctly  what  the  Holy  Scriptures  on  all 
points  mean,  and  wilt  learn  to  go  with  greater  composure  of 
heart  into  the  divine  presence.  Meanwhile,  of  this  I  am  con- 
vinced, that  the  sins  into  which  a  man  falls  solely  because,  in 
spite  of  all  his  efforts  and  aims,  he  yet  was  unable  to  hit  the 
mark,  are  the  sins  which  will  accuse  him  least  before  God.  Ah 
me !  would  that  I  had  no  other  sins  than  such  as  these  with 
which  to  reproach  myself !  Ah  me  !  would  that  lack  of  knozv- 
ledge  were  the  oftly  cause  of  my  heart  being  divided  betwixt  God 
and  the  world  !  O  shameful  frivolity  !  to  see  as  we  often  so 
plainly  do,  a  bait  upon  the  hook,  and  to  be  aware  that  Satan 
has  put  it  on,  and  yet  to  swallow  it.  O  shameful  indolence  ! 
so  frequently  to  know  that  did  we  but  cry  to  heaven  the  bonds 
would  break  asunder,  and  yet  to  hold  our  peace. 

Alas  !  that  still  with  feeble  foot, 
Uncertain  and  irresolute 

I  stand  'twixt  earth  and  heaven  above. 
O  Jesus,  come  !  oh  haste  to  save  me  ! 
Break  the  vile  fetters  that  enslave  me, 

Draw  me  to  Thee  with  cords  of  love. 


42.  By  Grace  made  free  from  Sin.  241 

42. 

iSg  ^ace  matie  free  from  %\xi.. 

O  matchless  Captain  !  Thou 
First  bindest  routtd  each  brow 
The  victor  s  wreath,  and  then 
Lead'st  to  the  fight  thy  men. 

Rom.  vi.  14.    "Sin  shall  not  have  dominion  over  you;  for 
ye  are  not  under  the  law,  but  under  grace." 

OH  how  greatly  the  human  heart  resembles  a  ship  upon  a 
stormy  sea,  whose  prow  and  stern  alternately  rise  and 
fall  with  the  rising  and  the  sinking  wave  !  I  had  passed 
through  a  painful  season  of  weariness  and  sloth  in  the  Christian 
hfe.  At  first,  without  being  sensible  of  it,  I  gradually  got  into 
the  way  of  yielding  to  the  will  of  the  old  man.  I  wished  not 
to  be  righteous  overmuch^  and  ere  I  was  aware,  found  that  I 
belonged  to  the  number  of  tJwn  who  draw  back?-  All  that  I 
meant  was  to  give  the  world  its  due,  and,  unconsciously,  I  be- 
came ^''  conformed  to  it ?^'^  Long-forgotten  foibles  awoke  once 
more.  Daily  self-examination  was  omitted,  and  every  week  I 
lowered  the  mark  at  which  I  aimed.  Then  there  came  a  sore 
temptation,  and,  to  my  consternation,  at  once  revealed  to  me 
that  I  had  quite  unlearned  to  deny  myself  anything  for  the  sake 
of  God.  The  discovery  alarmed  me.  I  felt  as  if  I  were  an 
outlaw — as  if  the  ground  were  no  longer  firm  beneath  my  feet, 
and  that  there  was  nothing  between  me  and  a  dreadful  fall  but 
lack  of  opportunity.  My  knees,  however,  had  already  become 
feeble,  and  I  could  not  fly  at  once.  Like  one  whom  they  try 
to  awaken  out  of  sleep,  "  In  a  Httle,"  I  cried,  and  closed  once 
more  my  slothful  eyes.  I  forgot,  however,  the  proverb  which 
says  that  "  deceit  lurkjjjshiild  delay/'  The  opportunity  came, 
1  Heb.  X.  39.  ^  Rom.  xii.  2. 

Q 


242  42-  By  Grace  made  free  from  Sin. . 

and  with  it  a  fall.  Oh  how  sad  a  fall !  I  started  to  my  feet. 
I  was  now  sobered,  and  remembering  "  that  He  whom  we  call 
Father"  judgeth,  without  respect  of  persons,  according  to  every 
man's  work,  I  complied  with  the  apostle's  advice,  and  "  passed 
the  time  of  my  sojourning  in  fear."  His  admonition,  ''  See 
that  ye  walk  circumspectly^''^  was  never  out  of  my  mind.  I 
kept  a  diary ;  I  set  a  time  for  all  my  duties,  and  in  the  even- 
ing called  myself  to  account  for  every  hour  I  had  spent ;  it  was 
not  inine^  but  the  Lord's.  For  a  while  this  went  well — as  long, 
indeed,  as  my  soul  was  still  feeding  upon  the  forgiveness  which 
had  been  vouchsafed  to  it  after  its  fall.  In  time,  however,  the 
radiance  of  that  grew  more  faint,  and,  on  the  other  hand,  the 
accuser  within  me  became  more  loud  and  inexorable.  My  soul 
lost  its  wings,  and  I  crawled  upon  the  ground.  If  I  had  spoken  a 
needless  word,  or  eaten  too  heartily  of  some  dish,  I  fancied  I 
had  committed  a  mortal  sin.  Then  there  came  a  new  awaken- 
ing. All  at  once  a  voice  within  me  said,  "  Who  will  lay  any- 
thing to  the  charge  of  God's  elect?  It  is  God  that  justifieth  ; 
who  is  he  that  condemneth  ?  It  is  Christ  that  died,  yea  rather, 
that  is  risen  again,  who  is  even  at  the  right  hand  of  God,  who 
also  maketh  intercession  for  us."  It  seemed  as  if  scales  fell 
from  mine  eyes.  I  woke  up  with  a  long  breath,  and  exclaimed, 
"  It  is  true  ;  I  am  a  child^  and  not  a  slave.  By  grace  am  I 
saved,  and  not  by  the  desert  of  works."  I  had  long  believed 
this,  and  had  even  been  living  upon  it,  but  it  had  quite  escaped 
from  my  memory.  It  seemed  as  if  I  now  heard  it  for  the  first 
time,  and  I  was  deeply  humbled.  Oh  how  hard  it  is  to  tread 
the  narrow  path  of  Gospel  holiness  without  deviating  either  to 
the  right  or  left,  carried  away  on  the  one  side  by  the  stream  of 
licentiousness,  or  taken  captive  on  the  other  by  the  snare  of 
legal  bondage  !  We  are  told  that  a  person  once  complained 
to  Luther  of  his  inability  to  distinguish  the  law  from  the 
Gospel;  and  that  the  Reformer  replied,  "  If  you  could  do  that, 
you  w^ould  justly  deserve  a  doctor's  degree;"  and  standing 
up  and  taking  off  his  bonnet,  continued,  "  If  you  could  do  that, 

1    Eph,  V,  15.  ... 


42.  By  Grace  made  free  from  Sin.  243 

you  would  indeed  be  a  learned  man ;  for  it  is  what  neither 
St  Paul  nor  I  was  ever  able  to  accomplish."  The  good  man, 
it  would  appear,  had  laboured  hard  at  the  task. 

A  struggle  to  be  holy  is  inculcated  upon  the  disciples  of 
other  religions  besides  the  Christian  \  but  the  true  mystery  of 
holiness,  the  jewel  of  the  perfect,  is  the  doctrine  of  justification 
by  free  grace,  and  that  alone.  That  the  natural  man,  if  left  to 
himself,  never  lights  upon  it,  and  understa,nds  it  when  first 
heard  by  him  far  less  than  he  can  do  anything  else,  is  a  sure 
sign  that  this  truth  in  quite  a  peculiar  sense  has  come  down 
from  heaven. 

It  is  the  strangest  thing  of  all, 
At  first  seems  even  for  babes  too  small  ; 
And  yet  at  length  so  vast  it  grows, 
As  if  all  heaven  it  would  enclose. 

It  is  the  riddle  ne'er  made  plain, 
At  which  our  reason  bores  in  vain  ; 
Yet  when  by  its  own  self  unveiled, 
We  marvel  how  we  ever  failed. 

It  is  the  spell  of  wondrous  might, 
Which  every  book  denies  outright ; 
Yet  not  a  treatise  so  acute 
Which  it  at  last  does  not  confute. 

It  is  the  problem  which  in  vain 
Seeks  its  true  place  at  first  to  gain  ; 
Yet  every  place  at  last  it  fits, 
And  heaven  and  earth  in  concord  knits. 

Spirit  of  the  Father  and  the  Son,  instruct  me  in  the  mystery 
of  godliness,  that  I  may  never  loose  it  from  my  heart !  It  is 
by  grace  that  I  am  saved,  through  faith.  That  is  the  rock  on 
which  I  build,  and  from  which  I  must  never  suffer  myself  to  be 
moved  by  any  works  of  my  own,  be  they  good  or  bad,  nor  yet 
by  either  the  chastisements  or  the  favours  of  God.  The  well 
at  which  I  must  always  wash  my  eyes  afresh  that  they  may  be 
bright,  the  altar  from  which  I  must  always  take  new  embers  to 
warm  my  heart  when  it  grows  cold,  is  solely  the  faith  that  I  merit 
the  severe  judgment  of  God,  but  that  by  grace  the  judgment 


244  42.  By  Grace  made  free  from  Sin. 

of  God  has  been  swallowed  up  in  victory.  When  I  seek  His 
presence  in  solitude,  in  order  to  obtain  strength  for  holiness,  I 
never  fail  to  find  it,  the  moment  I  can  enjoy  in  spirit  that 
mystery  of  godliness  :  I  might  even  say,  the  moment  I  bruise 
that  peppercorn  of  life  and  power — for  it  is,  in  fact,  fraught 
with  a  medicinal  and  fiery  virtue,  which  penetrates  all  the 
members,  but  must  first  be  crushed  before  the  fiery  virtue  is 
experienced.  It  is  a  medicinal  drop  which  must  be  melted  in 
the  mouth  before  it  can  heal  the  heart,  and  calm  its  restless 
throbbings.  Many  swallow  both  the  com  and  the  drop  at  once, 
and  experience  from  them  no  good  effects.  These  are  they 
who  know  the  word,  but  have  no  experience  of  the  thing 
itself. 

There  is  no  h^\Xtx  preservative  against  the  love  of  sin  than 
faith  in  the  filial  privileges  freely  vouchsafed  by  God,  and 
neither  is  there  any  better  rcfnedy  when  sin  has  been  committed. 
If  peace  have  then  departed  from  thy  heart,  build  upon  the 
vacant  spot  a  penitential  altar,  and  peace  will  again  return,  for 
the  Lord  Himself  will  place  upon  it  the  atoning  sacrifice.  Can 
any  one  suppose  that  a  servant  who  has  transgressed  his  lord's 
will,  and  then  with  anxiety  in  his  heart  sets  about  amending 
his  ways,  is  as  well  qualified  to  do  good  works  as  the  child  who 
has  wept  repentant  tears  upon  his  father's  bosom,  and  has  had 
his  faults  forgiven?  Oh  no  !  i\\Q  future  cannot  be  made  better 
until  the  evil  of  the  past  be  made  good. 

True  love,  and  the  disposition  to  do  holy  and  righteous 
works,  cannot  precede  the  forgiveness  of  sins,  but  must  always 
follow  it.  No  doubt  it  might  appear  as  if  the  opposite  of 
this  were  true,  from  the  words  of  the  Saviour  respecting  the 
woman  who  was  a  sinner,  "  Her  sins,  which  are  many,  are  for- 
given ;  for  she  loved  much,"  ^  because  He  afterwards  said  unto 
her,  "  Thy  sins  are  forgiven  ;  thy  faith  hath  saved  thee  j  go  in 
peace  ; "  from  which  it  might  be  inferred  that  her  forgiveness 
had  been  the  reward  of  her  love.  Nay,  is  there  not  also  a 
certain  measure  of  love  in  every  ki?td  of  confidence .?  how  much 
1  Luke,  vii.  47. 


42.  By  Grace  made  free  from  Sitt.  245 

more,  then,  in  that  faith  which  is  full  of  it,  and  which,  despair- 
ing of  self,  clings  to  the  knees  of  the  heavenly  Friend,  and  will 
not  let  them  go  until  He  open  His  lips  and  pronounce  the 
words,  "  Thy  sins  are  forgiven  ;  thy  faith  hath  saved  thee  "  ? 
But  why  then  did  the  Lord  afterwards  reverse  the  order  of  the 
statements,  and  say,  "  But  to  whom  little  is  forgive7t^  the  same 
loveth  little'' "i  Was  not  that  aimed  at  the  Pharisee  who 
thought  he  stood  in  no  need  of  forgiveness,  and  therefore  had 
treated  Him,  who  has  power  on  earth  to  forgive  sins,  as  if  He 
had  been  his  equal  ? 

Did  not  the  Saviour,  when  He  said,  "  Her  sins,  which  are 
many,  are  forgiven,  for  she  loved  much ;  but  to  whom  little  is 
forgiven,  the  same  loveth  little," — intend  it  as  an  application 
of  the  parable  which  He  had  just  before  delivered  ?  and  did 
He  not  mean  that  from  the  abundant  manifestations  of  love 
with  which  the  woman  approached  Him,  it  might  be  inferred 
that  she  had  received  forgiveness  for  many  sins,  just  as,  on  the 
contrary,  the  haughty  behaviour  of  the  Pharisee  showed  that 
no  desire  to  have  his  sins  forgiven  had  ever  touched  his  heart  ? 
Although,  therefore,  the  Saviour  had  previously  absolved  her, 
still,  in  the  presence  of  these  self-righteous  paragons  of  virtue, 
.who  were  puffed  up  with  their  own  perfection,  and  ashamed 
to  have  anything  to  do  with  penitent  souls  like  her.  He  wished 
to  express  the  absolution  in  very  emphatic  terms,  and  to  de- 
clare her  righteous  before  God  and  man.     It  is  for  this  reason 
that  He  once  more  repeated  in  the  hearing  of  all,  "  Thy  sins 
are  forgiven,"  and  added,  "Thy  faith  hath  saved  thee ;  go  in 
peace."     Although,  therefore,  there  certainly  is  a  love  of  longijig 
anterior  to  faith — a  love  that  disposes  the  soul  to  confidence 
in  the  Saviour,  can  cling  to  His  knees,  and  render  him  who 
feels  it  capable  of  making  great  sacrifices,  in  order  thereby,  if 
possible,  to  purchase  the  forgiveness  of  his  sins,  still  the  love  of 
gratitude  is  the  sole  efi'ective  kind  of  love,  inasmuch  as  it  alone 
is  accompanied  with  joy,  is  happy  in  itself  in  all  that  it  does, 
has  in  its  heart  no  disquiet,  but  rest — no  anxiety,  but  peace, 
and  therefore  never  grows  weary  in  welldoing.     Yes,  doubtless, 


246  43-  I  am  formed  of  the  Clay. 

genuine  love,  and  a  disposition  to  perform  holy  and  righteous 
deeds,  does  not  precede  forgiveness,  but  always  follows  it. 

Help  me,  O  Christ  !  that  I  too  may  experience  within  me 
the  power  of  Thy  death.  There  is  in  the  fellowship  of  the 
sufferings  which  Thy  love  led  Thee  to  endure,  a  power  never 
to  be  acquired,  let  me  do  my  very  utmost,  by  the  works  of  the 
law.  If  Thou  chasten  me,  it  will  be  for  nothing  but  for  having 
failed,  every  hour  of  my  life,  to  recognise  with  humiliation  of 
heart  the  magnitude  of  Thy  compassion,  and  for  having  too 
seldom  contemplated  Thee,  O  crucified  Love,  in  order  that, 
inflamed  by  the  sight,  I  might  crucify  my  own  lusts  and  desires. 
For  those  who  are  Thy  disciples  there  now  remains  no  guilt 
but  one,  and  that  is,  the  guilt  of  thinking  too  meanly  of  Thy 
love.  That  is  the  sin  which  breeds  all  the  rest.  Oh,  forbid 
that  I  should  any  longer  repair  to  other  fountains  for  supplies 
of  strength  !  Thou,  and  Thou  only,  art  He  who  can  strengthen 
feeble  knees  and  weary  hands  and  fainting  hearts,  and  to  Thee 
I  look  up,  O  God  of  my  salvation  ! 


43. 

31  am  formetJ  of  tje  S^lag, 

Man  is  not  of  07ie  substance  made  ; 

His  soul  is  breath  divine. 
His  body  but  a  hut  of  clay 

That  serves  it  for  a  shrine. 
Mark,  then,  the  limits  of  the  two  with  care, 
And  many  a  heart-ache  thou  thyself  wilt  spare. 

John,  xx.  13.    "  They  have  taken  away  my  Lord,  and  I 

know  not  where  they  have  laid  Him." 
Job,  xxxiii.  6.    "  Behold,    ...    I  also  am  formed  out  of 

the  clay." 


43-  I  (^1^^  formed  of  the  Clay.  247 

DISCIPLE. — Alas !  I  too  must  exclaim  with  the  Magda- 
lene, "  They  have  taken  away  my  Lord,  and  I  know 
not  where  they  have  laid  Him,"  for  He  is  no  longer  in  my 
heart. 

Maste7'. — Did  He  then  depart  of  a  sudden? 

D. — I  was  aware  of  it  only  a  few  moments  before,  and 
prayed  to  Him,  "  Abide  with  us,  for  it  is  towards  evening."  ^ 
But  He  went. 

M. — I  marvel  that  He  went  so  suddenly — nay,  even  that  He 
went  at  all ;  for  the  Word  of  Truth  declares,  "  No  man  shall 
pluck  my  sheep  out  of  my  hand."  ^  And  again,  "  He  that  is 
joined  unto  the  Lord  is  one  spirit  with  Him."  ^ 

D. — That  is  why  I  weep  :  I  was  unprepared  for  it,  and 
knew  not  how  it  happened.  Oh,  tell  me  if  thou  canst  where  He 
is,  that  I  may  go  and  seek  Him. 

J/.-^And  by  what  token  dost  thou  know  that  He  hath  for- 
saken thee  ? 

D. — By  the  sorrow  with  which  my  heart  is  overwhelmed. 
For  hath  He  not  said,  "  These  things  have  I  spoken  unto  you, 
that  my  joy  might  remain  in  you  ;  2Si^  your  joy  no  ma?i  taketh 
from  you  "  ?  * 

M. — It  seems  as  if  thou  knew  only  one  source  and  one 
kind  of  sorrow — viz.,  that  which  is  experienced  when  the  Sun 
of  the  spiritual  heaven  is  overcast  and  the  terrors  of  divine 
judgment  fall  upon  the  soul.  But,  my  son,  there  is  a  sorrow  of 
a  different  kind,  and  which  arises  when  the  dark  cloud  inter- 
cepts the  natural  sun  and  discharges  its  burden  upon  the 
earth. 

D. — Master,  it  seems  to  me  that  thou  comminglest  earthly 
with  heavenly  things. 

M. — Take  care,  my  son,  that  thou  art  not  confounding 
the  two;  there  is  a  spiritual  joy  and  sorrow,  and  there  is 
likewise  a  bodily  joy  and  sorrow.  The  apostle  speaks  of  re- 
joicing in  the  Lord^^  of  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost ^  and  of  joy  and 

^  Luke,  xxiv,  29.  ^  John,  x.  29.  3  j  Q,qx.  vi.  17. 

■*  John,  XV.  II ;  xvi.  23,  24.  ^  Phil.  iv.  4.  ^  Rom.  xiv.  17, 


248  43-  I  CLin  fanned  of  the  Clay. 

peace  in  believing}  Thou  sayest  that  the  cause  of  thy  sorrow 
is  the  departure  of  thy  Saviour  from  thee.  Art  thou  then, 
poor  soul !  destitute  of  an  intercessor  with  God,  and  hast  thou 
no  advocate  when  thy  sins  afflict  thee  ? 

D. — Oh,  master,  God  forbid  that  it  should  be  so  !  I  have 
learned  something  of  the  loving-kindness  of  the  Lord,  and 
know  that  whoso  cometh  unto  Him,  He  will  in  no  wise  cast 
out.  Of  that  I  am  assured,  but  I  would  fain  also /^<?/ that  He 
loves  me. 

Af. — Thou  sayest  that  thou  hast  an  advocate  when  thy  sins 
afflict  thee  ;  and  if  so,  no  doubt  thou  canst  also  pray  the  prayer, 
"Abba,  Father"? 

D. — Yes,  I  can ;  for  I  know  that  since  Christ  has  appeared 
and  become  my  intercessor,  no  one  can  now  condemn  me. 

M. — If  thou  canst  so  pray,  and  still  complainest  that  thou 
art  unhappy,  I  would  say,  in  reply,  that  thou  hast  thyself  to 
blame  for  thy  sorrow.  Once  thou  wert  cast  out  into  the  open 
field,  and  there  was  no  eye  to  pity  thee,  and  thy  God  passed 
by  and  saw  thee  in  thy  blood,  and,  said  unto  thee,  ^^  Live^^ 
Now  thou  art  washed,  sanctified,  and  justified  in  the  name  of 
the  Lord.^     He  has  opened  to  thee  His  heart,  and  said — 

If  me  thou  for  thy  Master  choose, 

Thee  for  my  bride  I  own  ; 
A7id  what  thy  heart  siiicerely  rues. 

Reckon  as  7iever  done. 

All  this  thou  believest ;  and  with  such  a  message  sent  to  thee 
canst  thou  still  be  unhappy,  like  those  who  have  no  hope  ? 

D. — Master,  thou  searchest  the  inmost  recesses  of  my  heart, 
and  when  I  look  into  it  myself  I  certainly  find  that  I  am  not 
so  sorely  troubled  as  those  who  are  without  hope.  The  deeper 
I  go,  if  I  may  venture  to  disclose  it  to  thee,  the  more  it  seems 
as  if  I  heard  a  voice  constantly  saying.  Peace  be  unto  thee  ! 
But  the  voice  is  very  low,  and  my  heart  all  the  while  in  its 
anxiety  beats  so  loudly  that  it  drowns  the  consoling  accents 
which  come  from  beneath. 

1  Rom.  XV.  13.  2  Ezek.  xvi.  6.  3  i  Cor.  vi.  11. 


43-  I  <^'^^  formed  of  the  Clay,  249 

M. — My  son,  it  would  appear  that  as  yet  thou  art  but  slightly 
acquainted  with  the  Example  Book  of  God's  Saints.  Hast 
thou  not  there  read  what  the  Word  of  Truth  declares,  that  there 
is  a  peace  of  the  soul  even  in  the  midst  of  trouble 'i  according  to 
the  words  of  the  Psalmist,  "  In  the  midtitude  of  my  thoughts 
within  me  Thy  comforts  delight  my  soul."  ^  St  Paul  also  says, 
"  We  are  troubled  on  every  side,  yet  not  distressed ;  we  are 
perplexed,  but  not  in  despair."  ^  Nay,  he  tells  us  that  a  child 
of  God  may  indeed  sorrow  and  yet  at  the  same  time  rejoice ; 
for  his  words  are,  "  As  sorrowful,  yet  always  rejoicing."^  For 
just  as  thou  mayest  see  dark  clouds  flying  in  the  heavens  while 
the  blue  firmament  behind  them  remains  the  same  yesterday 
and  to-day;  or  as  thou  mayest  perchance  imagine  that  the 
darkness  which  oft  overspreads  it  reaches  as  far  back  as  the 
vault  extends,  and  yet  behind  the  stars  keep  their  places  un- 
moved,— so  in  all  his  tribulations  is  it  with  the  heart  of  the 
Christian  who  is  saved  by  faith. 

D. — As  the  dew  cools  the  heat,  so,  dear  master,  does  thy 
discourse  refresh  my  soul.  I  see  well  that  I  have  misunder- 
stood both  myself  and  the  Lord.  Speak  on  and  correct  me, 
that  I  may  grow  wise. 

M. — Observe,  my  son,  that  as  man  has  been  made  of  the 
dust  of  the  earth,  and  dwells  in  a  tabernacle  of  clay,  his  feelings 
do  not  proceed  solely  from  the  spirit  which  has  been  breathed 
into  him  by  the  Godhead,  but  often  likewise  from  the  tabernacle 
in  which  the  spirit  is  enshrined ;  and  consequently,  that  in 
questions  respecting  the  inner  life  of  the  soul  it  is  highly 
necessary  to  mark  in  how  far  its  feelings  are  human  and  in  how 
far  they  are  divine,  and  to  discriminate  between  what  comes 
from  the  dust  and  what  from  the  spirit.  When  a  person  is 
sorrowful  without  having  any  spiritual  ground  for  it — when 
sorrow  merely  lights  upon  him,  as  the  gnats  do,  which  in  sum- 
mer play  about  the  head — in  that  case,  the  feeling  certainly 
comes  from  the  dust  to  which  he  is  allied.  On  the  other 
hand,  if  he  be  in  a  cheerful  mood,  and  yet  k?iows  of  no  spiritual 
1  Psalm  xciv.  19,  2  2  Cor.  iv.  8.  ^2  Cor.  vi.  10. 


250  43*  I  cim  formed  of  the  Clay. 

groimd  for  cheerfulness,  so  as,  for  instance,  to  be  able  to  say 
that  he  rejoices  in  the  Lord ;  then  likewise,  no  doubt,  have  the 
sweet  and  pleasant  sensations  flowed  from  the  earthly  frame 
which  he  bears  about  with  him.  And  if  so  be  that  at  times 
the  sun,  the  air,  and  the  genial  temperature  of  the  elements 
can  beget  a  gladness  of  heart  at  which  we  wonder,  why,  on  the 
other  hand,  may  not  the  sun  and  the  air  and  the  inclemency 
of  the  elements  likewise  engender  in  us  sensations  that  are 
bitter  and  unpleasant  in  a  manner  of  which  we  can  give  no 
account  ?  Never,  therefore,  ought  a  soul  to  vex  itself  as  if  it 
were  forsaken  of  the  Saviour  so  long  as  it  still  retains  its  belief 
in  the  Intercessor  for  sin.  The  Saviour,  whose  seat  is  in  the 
inmost  recess  of  the  soul,  is  there  under  the  form  of  mere 
testimonies  respecting  Him,  which  may  sometimes,  for  gracious 
purposes  on  the  part  of  God,  be  withdrawn  without  the  soul 
having  any  ground  for  anxiety.  It  is  only  when  they  have 
taken  away  from  it  the  Christ,  who  sits  at  the  right  hand  of  the 
Father,  that  the  soul  has  just  cause  to  conceive  alarm.  Inas- 
much, however,  as  Christ  will  sit  at  the  Father's  right  hand, 
the  same  yesterday,  to-day,  and  for  ever,  and  will  there  inter- 
cede for  all  who  are  sanctified  by  Him,  never  more  can 
peace  be  taken  away  from  the  heart  of  a  believing  Christian — 
that  peace  in  which  he  can  pray,  "  Abba,  Father." 

D. — Master,  as  rain  drops  upon  the  parched  field,  so  does 
thy  discourse  recruit  my  soul.  My  peace  becomes  like  a 
mighty  river  when  I  rightly  take  to  heart  that  the  covenant  of 
grace  which  has  been  made  with  me  is  so  sure  and  steadfast. 

Man's  emblem  is  a  tree,  which  sinks  its  root 
Deep  in  the  earth  beneath,  while  upward  shoot 
The  boughs  to  heaven  ;  then  marvel  not  to  find 
A  twofold  law  his  twofold  nature  bind. 
To  earth  one  part  is  kin,  to  heaven  the  other, 
And  oft  they  chime  discordantly  together  ; 
See,  then,  to  mark  in  all  thy  weal  and  woe 
From  which  of  the  twain  founts  thy  feelings  flow. 


44-   TJioit  didst  hide  Thy  Face,  &c.  251 

44. 

Wilt  thotc  the  devil  from  thee  drive  ? 
By  7nere  debate  thou  wilt  not  thrive. 
But  z/" CONTEMPT  and  scorn  thou  try. 

The  haughty  fiend  will  quickly  fiy. 
For  never  yet  hath  he  withstood 
A  bold  appeal  ifc  Jesus'  BLOOD. 

Psalm   xxx.    7.    "  Thou  didst  hide  Thy  face,  and  I  was 

troubled." 
Job,  iv.  17.  "  Shall  mortal  man  be  more  just  than  God?  " 
MiCAH,  vii.  7.    "  I  will  look  unto  the  Lord ;  I  will  wait  for 

the  God  of  my  salvation;  my  God  will  hear  me." 

DISCIPLE. — Master,  I  come  to  thee  in  sorrow.  Hast 
thou  any  comfort  for  me?  Thou  seest  before  thee 
a  soul  which  has  fallen  never  again  to  rise. 

Master. — Tell  me  what  soul  there  can  be  which  was  excluded 
by  Christ  the  Lord,  when  He  said,  "  Him  that  coitieth  unto  me,  I 
will  in  no  wise  cast  oiit.''^ 

D. — May  He  not  have  excluded  those  who  come  to  Him 
for  no  other  purpose  but  to  smite  Him  on  the  face  ? 

M. — And  for  what  good  work  of  His^  didst  thou  smite  Him 
on  the  face  ? 

D, — Alas  !  would  that  my  head  were  waters,  and  mine  eyes 
a  fountain  of  tears,  that  I  might  bewail  the  greatness  of  my 
fall !  for  know,  the  tempter  hath  emptied  his  quiver,  and  shot 
all  his  arrows  at  me.  When  I  try  to  pray,  they  fly  through  my 
supplications,  and  when  I  seek  access  to  the  throne  of  grace, 
I  confront  a  brazen  wall.  Listen  to  me,  that  I  may  pour  out 
the  affliction  of  my  heart  in  all  its  magnitude  into  thine.     The 

1  John,  X.  32. 


252  44-   TJioii  didst  hide  Thy  Face, 

Lord  was  pleased  to  chastise  me  with  one  of  His  rods  of  love, 
and  laid  me  long  prostrate  on  a  sick-bed.  At  this  I  ought  to 
have  rejoiced,  for  never  is  our  bread  so  wholesome  as  when 
we  eat  it  dipped  in  vinegar.  But  my  soul  became  parched, 
like  the  glebe  in  summer's  drought.  For  a  while  I  panted 
after  God,  the  living  God,  as  the  hart  pants  for  the  water-brooks ; 
but  He  delayed  to  turn  His  face  to  me,  and  then  I  turned  mine 
away  from  Him.  A  breath,  I  know  not  whose,  in  the  night 
of  my  soul  suddenly  blew  out  the  candle  of  the  Word ;  all 
became  dark,  and  the  tempter  had  gained  the  day.  For 
several  months  the  blackest  thoughts  have  been  passing  every 
hour  through  my  soul,  especially  when  I  pray.  Dreadful  are 
the  pangs  which  disease  shoots  through  my  bones ;  but  much 
more  dreadful  the  arrows  with  which  my  soul  is  pierced.  I 
hear  a  voice  within  me  saying,  "  Has  He  not  been  unto  thee 
as  a  bear  lying  in  wait,  and  as  a  lion  in  secret  places  ?  Forsake 
God  and  die."  I  would  fain  praise  Him,  knowing  that  He 
chastens  us  only  that  we  may  not  be  condemned  with  the 
world ;  but  in  place  of  praising  I  blaspheme,  so  that,  like  Job, 
I  curse  the  day  of  my  birth,  and  cry  out  to  God,  "  Do  not 
condemn  me  ;  show  me  wherefore  Thou  contendest  with  me." 
I  forget  that  it  is  I  who  contend  with  Him, — Him  who  is  my 
Maker  and  my  Redeemer.  Alas,  that  I  dare  not  conceal  it 
from  thee  !  Like  old  sores  in  the  body,  former  lusts  break 
forth  afresh  in  my  soul.  At  the  very  time  I  am  suffering  in  the 
flesh,  fleshly  desires  wake  up,  and  thus  I  think  :  If  He  have 
broken  His  covenant  with  me,  and  withdrawn  the  favour  which, 
in  the  days  when  I  walked  in  the  light  of  His  countenance,  was 
sweeter  to  me  than  honey  and  the  honeycomb, — why  should 
not  I  make  a  covenant  with  the  flesh  whereby  to  reap  some 
compensation,  and  though  but  for  a  little  to  cool  my  tongue 
in  the  terrible  heat?  That  bleeding  head,  with  the  thorny 
crown,  which  often  in  my  sultriest  days  gazed  in  upon  me  and 
brought  refreshment  to  my  soul — oh,  how  can  I  tell,  and  yet, 
how  dare  I  conceal  the  fact  ? — that  holy  head  I  have  smitten 
in  the  face,  and  called  to  it,  If  Thou  be  the  Son  of  God,  why  dost 


and  I  was  troubled.  253 

Thou  not  succour  me?  I  have  invoked  the  heavens  and  the 
earth,  these  wretched  creatures,  to  bear  witness  against  the  God 
who  created  me.  How  dare  I  tell,  and  yet,  how  dare  I  hide 
it  ?  I  have  wished  that  there  were  sojtie  other  God,  to  whom  I 
might  appeal  my  cause,  and  find  justice. 

"  Father,  forgive  them,  for  they  know  not  what  they  do," 
was  the  prayer  of  the  Saviour  for  those  who  nailed  Him  to  the 
cross.  Oh,  why  have  I  become  acquainted  with  the  Son  of 
God  only  to  be  condemned  ?  iox  I  knoiu  that  I  have  blasphemed 
the  Holy  One,  and  seized  the  sceptre  of  His  majesty  that  I 
might  break  it  if  I  could.  Master,  what  shall  be  done  to  the  man 
who  has  drawn  near  to  the  Son  of  God  for  no  other  purpose  than 
to  smite  Him  i?i  the  face  ? 

M. — Before  speaking  to  thee,  my  son,  I  will  first  weep  with 
thee,  for  sorrow  that  human  nature  has  become  so  degenerate 
that  such  lamentable  things  as  these  can  be  related  of  it.  Lord, 
if  Thou  shouldst  mark  iniquities,  who  shall  stand  ?  But  now, 
my  son,  let  me  first  of  all  observe  that,  however  deplorable 
may  be  thy  temptation,  still  thou  art  not  the  first,  and  neither 
wilt  thou  be  the  last,  whom  the  devil  has  brought  into  such 
misery  and  distress.  Thou  hast  thyself  mention  ed  holy  Job,  how 
he  kept  his  feet  in  manifold  temptations,  but  how,  when  Satan 
proceeded  to  touch  his  skin  and  bones,  he  opened  his  mouth 
and  cursed  his  day.  Jeremiah  ventures  to  say,  '^  Cursed  be 
the  day  on  which  I  was  born,  because  He  slew  me  not  from 
the  womb,  that  my  mother  might  have  been  my  grave."  ^  The 
holy  Psalmist  complains,  "  Deep  calleth  unto  deep  at  the 
noise  of  thy  waterspouts  :  all  Thy  waves  and  Thy  billows  are 
gone  over  me.  ...  I  will  say  unto  God  my  rock,  Why 
hast  Thou  forgotten  me  ?  "  2  Even  a  Paul  thrice  besought  the 
Lord  that  the  thorn  might  depart  out  of  his  flesh,  and  thrice 
the  Lord  said  to  him,  "  My  grace  is  sufficient  for  thee."^  If, 
then,  the  heavenly  Wisdom  deemed  it  salutary  for  vessels  so 
honourable  and  dear  as  these  to  be  thus  made  sensible  of  their 
excessive  frailty,  why  should  a  poor  child  like  thee  be  so  de- 

1  Jer.  XX.  17.  2  Psalm  xlii.  7,  9.  ^2  Cor.  xii.  7,  9. 


254  44-   TJioii  didst  hide  Thy  Face^ 

jected  when  taught  the  same  lesson  ?  Methinks  it  ought  rather 
to  encourage  thee,  and  inspire  the  hope  that  great  graces  are 
in  reserve  for  thee  at  some  future  time.  For  just  as  we  see  when 
the  wind  blows  through  the  forest  the  tops  of  the  cedars  bend, 
while  the  humbler  shrubs  remain  undisturbed,  so  do  we  learn 
from  the  experience  of  holy  men  that  it  is  upon  the  souls  which 
the  Lord  has  selected  for  some  enterprise  of  moment,  and  upon 
none  else,  that  Satan  makes  his  terrible  assaults.  The  rule  he 
follows  when  intending  to  pour  into  a  vessel  a  large  measure  of 
grace,  is  first  of  all  thoroughly  to  empty  it,  and  make  little  that 
which  was  great,  in  order  that  the  glory  may  pertain  to  Him- 
self To  this  effect  is  the  admonition  of  the  wise  Sirach  : 
"  The  greater  thou  art,  humble  thyself  the  more,  and  thou 
shalt  find  favour  before  the  Lord  ;  ...  for  the  power  of 
the  Lord  is  great,  and  He  is  honoured  of  the  lowly."  ^  Tell 
me  why  is  it  that  none  of  the  little  stars,  and  only  the  great 
moon  and  sun,  have  a  retinue  of  clouds  ? 

D. — O  master,  how  canst  thou  address  such  language  tome, 
or  how  speak  of  such  high  things  to  one  who  has  struck  the 
Saviour  in  the  face  ?  Have  I  not  confessed  to  thee  that  I  have 
committed  that  sin  for  which  "  there  remaineth  no  more  sacri- 
fice, but  a  fearful  looking  for  of  judgment  and  fiery  indignation, 
which  shall  devour  the  adversaries"  ?  ^  And  now,  what  possible 
consolation  canst  thou  give  me  ? 

M. — God  forbid  that  thou  shouldst  have  been  guilty  of  any 
such  sin  as  that  of  which  we  read  that  it  is  impossible  for  those 
who  have  committed  it  to  be  "  renewed  again  unto  repentance." 
Condemn  thyself  with  discretion,  lest  in  making  thyself  little, 
thou  at  the  same  time  depreciate  the  grace  that  is  still  in  thee 
— an  error  into  which  souls  under  temptation  have  frequently 
fallen. 

D. — There  is,  no  doubt,  consolation  in  the  truth  of  which 

thou  remindest  me — viz.,  that  so  long  as  a  soul  is  still  capable 

of  repentance,   it  cannot  be  in  the  condition  into  which   I 

imagined  I  had  fallen.     But  will  it  not  show  you,  dear  master, 

1  Ecclus.  iii.  18-20,  2  Heb.  x.  26,  27. 


and  I  zvas  troubled.  255 

the  deep  misery  of  my  heart,  that  true  repentance  is  the  very 
thing  I  lack  ?  Nay,  it  seems  to  me  as  if  my  heart  were  as  hard 
as  stone. 

M. — Thy  sorrow,  dear  child,  has  hidden  thine  own  heart 
from  thee.  Thine  eyes  overflow  with  tears,  and  look  up  to 
the  hills  from  whence  cometh  thine  aid  \  and  thus  sorrowing  as 
thou  dost,  how  canst  thou  doubt  that  thou  repentest  ?  Thou 
comest  imploring  consolation,  and  opening  thy  heart  to  me 
who  am  but  the  servant.  Were  the  Lord  himself  here,  wouldst 
thou  not  hasten  and  open  it  to  Him  ?  And  dost  thou  still 
doubt  of  the  reality  of  thyfaiih  ? 

D. — I  cannot  deny  that  my  heart  is  often  soft,  but  then,  again, 
it  grows  hard  like  the  nether  millstone.  I  cannot  deny  that 
the  misery  of  my  soul  is  often  a  great  affliction  to  me,  and  that 
there  may  still  be  a  Httle  spark  of  faith  left  in  my  heart.  It 
seems  to  me  as  if  the  Lord  held  me  by  a  thread,  although  I 
do  not  see  it,  but  neither  can  I  deny  that  I  have  blasphemed 
Him,  and  dishonoured  my  Christian  name,  and  that  sinful 
thoughts  have  risen  within  me,  with  the  mention  of  which  I 
will  not  pollute  thine  ear. 

M. — My  son,  thou  knowest  the  word  of  truth,  that  there  is 
only  one  sin  which  is  not  forgiven  either  in  this  life  or  that 
which  is  to  come,  and  that  that  is  wilfidly  blaspheming  the 
Spirit  of  grace  by  which  a  man  has  been  sanctified;^  as  a 
righteous  judgment  upon  which  sin,  the  Holy  Spirit  deserts 
for  ever  the  man  who  has  wantonly  rejected  Him.  Thou  hast 
not  sinned  wilfidly,  for  thy  heart  can  still  melt,  and  thy  tears 
flow,  and,  like  Israel  of  old,  thou  hast  wrestled  with  God.  It 
may  be  that  thou  hast  uttered  blasphemous  words  against  the 
Son  of  God,  and  cursed  the  day  of  thy  birth ;  but  hast  thou 
also  cursed  the  Holy  Spi7'it,  who  began  in  thee  the  work  of 
grace,  kindled  the  desire  of  heavenly  blessings  in  thy  heart, 
imprinted  the  seal  of  God^s peace  \rj^on  it,  and  still,  in  the  midst 
of  thy  great  darkness,  ofttimes  allures  thee  by  many  a  sweet 
and  bright  attraction  ?  No  :  Him  thou  hast  not  cursed  ;  for 
1  Heb.  X.  26-29. 


256  44-   TJioii  didst  hide  Thy  Face, 

Him  thy  heart  still  longed  in  thy  misery.  O  my  son,  thou 
knowest  so  well  what  divine  grace  has  wifhdraw7i  from  thee, 
overlook  not  what  it  has  still  left.  However  deep  may  be  the 
wretchedness  into  which  a  man  has  fallen,  so  long  as  heavenly 
love  gives  him  tears  to  deplore  it,  all  is  not  yet  lost  Thy 
despondency  flows  from  thy  bodily  weakness ;  let  it  not  induce 
thee  to  ignore  what  has  still  been  left  to  thee  by  thy  God,  lest 
that  also  may  perchance  be  taken  away. 

D. — O  master,  I  see  that  "  the  heart  of  the  wise  teacheth 
his  mouth,  and  addeth  learning  to  his  lips.  Pleasant  words  are 
as  an  honeycomb,  sweet  to  the  soul,  and  health  to  the  bones."  ^ 
And  thus  are  my  bones  refreshed  by  the  pleasantness  of  thy 
discourse.  But  how  wilt  thou  solve  so  great  a  riddle  as  that, 
in  a  heart  which,  as  thou  sayest,  has  not  yet  been  forsaken  by 
His  grace,  blasphemy  so  shocking  can  wake  up,  and  that 
thoughts  so  impure  can  defile  a  soul  which  still  belongs  to  the 
Lord  ?  What  weapon  canst  thou  give  me  in  such  a  case  for 
attack  or  defence  ?  what  shield  put  into  my  hand  to  ward  off 
these  fiery  darts  of  the  wicked  one  ? 

M. — My  son,  misery  like  thine  comes  from  the  tempter  of 
souls ;  and  now,  according  to  the  wisdom  vouchsafed  me  by 
the  Lord,  I  will  show  thee  how  craftily  he  acts,  and  what  is  the 
weapon  and  what  the  shield  which  thou  must  use  against  his 
assaults.  In  i\\Qjirst  place,  then,  know  that  he  never  makes  his 
approach  with  noise  and  clamour,  so  that  we  can  descry  him 
afar,  and  stand  upon  our  guard.  For  although  it  be  said  that 
he  walketh  about  "like  a  roaring  lion,"^  he  still  contrives  to 
keep  his  roaring,  which  is  his  eager  desire  for  souls,  secret 
until  he  has  come  near.  No  doubt  thou  didst  not  take  suffi- 
cient heed  to  thyself  on  his  first  stealthy  and  silent  advance 
towards  thee,  so  as  by  watchfulness  and  prayer  to  keep  him  at 
a  distance,  which  thou  oughtest  to  have  done.  In  the  seco7id 
place,  let  me  say  to  thee,  my  dear  child,  we  must  never  dispute 
with  the  devil ;  and  if  he  have  advanced  so  near  as  to  be  able 
to  shoot  his  fiery  darts  at  thee,  which  consist  in  thoughts  of 

1  Prov.  xvi.  23,  24.  ^  I  Peter,  i.  8. 


and  I  was  trotihlcd.  257 

fleshly  sin,  suicide,  and  blasphemy,  on  no  account  think  of 
discoursing  with  him.  He  is  a  far  greater  master  in  the  art  of 
disputation  than  thou,  and  if  thou  begin  to  argue  with  him,  it 
is  just  as  it  were  bringing  ;;wr^  hay  and  stubble  to  heat  his  fiery 
darts  the  more.  It  was  a  saying  of  the  pious  Gerson,  that 
devilish  thoughts  are  like  a  barking  dog,  which  only  becomes 
more  furious  the  more  blows  you  inflict  and  the  more  stones 
you  fling.  Take,  then,  no  further  notice  of  him,  but  pass  by 
as  if  thou  didst  not  care  for  him,  for  there  is  nothing  which  he 
dislikes  so  much  as  contempt.  According  to  the  story  which 
we  read  in  the  '  Lives  of  the  Ancient  Fathers,'  one  of  them 
put  the  question  to  a  brother — what  he  ought  to  do  when 
troublesome  thoughts  suddenly  entered  his  mind  ?  and  received 
this  answer :  As  they  suddenly  came  in,  so  let  them  suddenly 
go  out.  Don't  fancy  that  it  is  frivolity  when  I  say  that  in 
place  of  wrangling  with  the  devil  it  would  be  better  for  thee 
to  play  with  thy  little  boy,  or  whistle  to  thyself  a  tune.  More- 
over, neither  must  thou  give  him  the  satisfaction  of  appearing 
to  be  afraid  that  what  he  shoots  into  thy  soul  can  injure  thee 
or  cause  thee  to  forfeit  the  favour  of  thy  Lord.  Thou  canst 
not  hinder  the  birds  from  flying  over  thy  head,  but  let  them 
not  make  a  nest  in  thy  hair.  When  he  presents  thee  with  a 
long  account  of  thy  debts,  amounting  in  all  to  the  everlasting 
wrath  of  God,  ask  him  to  show  thee  in  it  the  one  little  word 
"  wilfully r  1  Until  he  can  point  out  that  in  the  account,  he 
must  instantly  go  his  way.  In  the  third  place,  my  son,  if,  in 
the  great  flood  of  thy  misery,  there  yet  remain  a  little  spark  of 
faith  unquenched,  set  thyself  diligently  to  the  study  of  the 
Word  of  God,  in  order  that  the  spark  may  still  burn  ;  and  do 
this  however  keenly  the  devil  may  wish  to  prevent  thee.  How 
great  is  the  comfort  that  Christ  imparts  in  His  blessed  Word, 
according  as  it  is  written,  "  The  Lord  God  hath  given  me  the 
tongue  of  the  learned,  that  I  should  know  how  to  speak  a 
word  in  season  to  him  that  is  weary  "  !  ^  Above  all,  be  careful 
on  no  account  to  remain  alone.  Solitary  places  are  above 
1  Heb.  X.  26.  2  isa.  1.  4. 

R 


258  44-   TJiou  didst  hide  Thy  Face, 

measure  dangerous  to  the  tempted ;  for  as  the  Preacher  justly 
says,  "  Woe  to  him  that  is  alone  when  he  falleth,  for  he  hath 
not  another  to  help  him  up."i     Oh,  how  truly  may  a  Christian 
brother,  however  humble,  become  to  us  a  messenger  of  God 
in  our  hours  of  gloom  !     In  his  exposition  of  the  90th  Psalm, 
Luther  makes  the  following  humble  confession :  "It  is  true  I  am 
a  Doctor  of  Divinity,  and  there  are  many  who  own  that  by  my 
help  they  have  greatly  profited  in  their  knowledge  of  the  Holy 
Scriptures.     Yet  it  has  often  happened  to  myself  to  be  much 
helped  and  recruited  by  the  word  of  a  brother,  who  was  far 
from  reckoning  himself  in  any  respect  my  equal.     The  word 
of  a  brother  is  often  of  immense  weight  and  consequence, 
when  at  a  time  of  danger  it  is  quoted  and  addressed  to  us  from 
the  Holy  Scripture,  for  the  Holy  Scripture  has  the  Holy  Ghost 
as  its  inseparable  companion ;  and  in  diverse  manners  does  he 
employ  the  Word  to  move  and  encourage  the  heart.     It  was 
thus  that  Timothy,  Titus,  and  Epaphroditus  comforted  St  Paul, 
as  no  less  did  the  brethren  who  came  to  meet  him  from  Rome, 
although  he  was  much  more  learned  and  better  practised  in 
the  Scriptures  than  they."     And  though  it  should  be  that  thou 
hast  no  Christian  friend,  it  is  better  for  thee  to  listen  to  the 
talk  of  all  kinds  of  worldly  people  than  to  the  devil's  blasphemies. 
In  \\\^  fourth  place,  there  is  no  doubt  that  it  is  chiefly  when 
men  are  labouring  under  weakness  of  body  that  the  tempter  has 
it  in  his  power  to  weaken  them  so  greatly  in  spirit;  for  the 
history  of  Luther  and  many  other  holy  men  shows  that  it  is 
mostly  at  such  seasons  that  his  fiery  darts  are  discharged,  and 
that  they  lack  the  power  to  repel  them.     For  this  reason,  for- 
get not,  my  son,  to  have  recourse  hkewise  to  bodily  help,  and 
despise  not  what  a  skilful  physician  can  say  to  thee ;  according 
to  the  admonition  of  Sirach  :  "  Honour  a  physician  with  the 
honour  due  unto  him,  for  the  uses  which  ye  may  have  of  him  \ 
for  the  Lord  hath  created  him,  and  from  the  Most  High  com- 
eth  healing."  2    Oh,  how  much  bitter  suffering  might  have  been 
spared  to  many  a  noble  mind  if  it  had  sought  in  time  some 
^  Eccles.  iv.  10.  2  Ecclus.  xxxviii,  i,  2. 


and  I  was  trottbled.  259 

remedy  for  bodily  illness  !  For  it  may  happen  that  while  the 
body  is  weak,  an  excess  of  religious  exercises  may  only  aggra- 
vate spiritual  affliction,  and  that  it  will  be  mitigated  by  diverting 
the  mind  to  the  many  pleasant  things  which  are  to  be  found  in 
the  world,  and  which  God  has  created  to  cheer  the  human 
heart.  I  allude  specially  to  His  beautiful  works,  of  which 
Sirach  writes,  "  How  amiable  are  they  all,  although  we  can 
scarcely  comprehend  a  spark  of  them  !  "  These  things,  my 
child,  I  have  said  to  thee  with  good  intention  and  hope  in 
God,  that  by  the  help  of  His  grace  all  the  troubles  which  now 
only  sadden  thee,  may  ere  long  turn  into  joy  and  triumph,  so 
that  with  the  Psalmist  thou  mayest  be  able  to  say,  "Weeping 
may  endure  for  a  night,  but  joy  cometh  in  the  morning." 
D. — Amen,  so  be  it. 


45. 

W^zxz  tfje  .Spirit  0!  tje  HorlJ  is,  tfjere  is  Hiiertg, 

What  is  a  PlETlST  ?     If  thou  wouldst  know 
On  whom  the  thoughtless  crowd  the  name  bestow, 
He  is  a  Christian  who  by  deed  a?id  word 
Offends  the  world,  but  loves  and  serves  the  Lord. 

But  if  to  whom  THE  NAME  IS  DUE  you  ask  : 
He  is  the  mati  who  wears  a  hollow  mask, 
And  feigns,  but  never  felt  the  love  of  Christ — 
Called  by  another  name,  a  Formalist. 

Matt  .  vi.  17,  18.  "But  thou,  when  thou  fastest,  anoint 
thine  head,  and  wash  thy  face ;  that  thou  appear  not  unto 
men  to  fast,  but  unto  thy  Father  which  is  in  secret :  and 
thy  Father,  which  seeth  in  secret,  shall  reward  thee 
openly." 

I  Tim.  vi.  5.    "  Men  of  corrupt  minds,  and  destitute  of  the 


26o  45.    Where  the  Spirit  of  the 

truth,  supposing  that  gain  is  godliness :  from  such  with- 
draw thyself." 

2  Tim.  iii.  5.  "  Having  a  form  of  godliness,  but  denying 
the  power  thereof:  from  such  turn  away." 

Col.  ii.  16,  17.  "Let  no  man  therefore  judge  you  in  meat, 
or  in  drink,  or  in  respect  of  an  holyday,  or  of  the  new 
moon,  or  of  the  Sabbath-days  :  which  are  a  shadow  of 
things  to  come  \  but  the  body  is  of  Christ." 

2  Cor.  iii.  17.  "Now  the  Lord  is  that  Spirit:  and  where 
the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is,  there  is  liberty." 

Rom.  viii.  14.  "  For  as  many  as  are  led  by  the  Spirit  of 
God,  they  are  the  sons  of  God." 

THERE  is  no  alternative.  Whosoever  will  be  the  friend 
of  Christ  must  be  content  to  have  sour  looks  from 
worldly  men.  The  sea  casts  out  her  dead,  and  so  does  the 
world  all  who  are  dead  to  it.  This  was  the  experience  of 
the  holy  prophets,  who  were  made  a  gazing -stock  both  by 
reproaches  and  afflictions.^  It  was  the  experience  of  Christ 
the  Lord;  for  He  had  to  submit  to  hear  it  said  of  Him, 
"Thou  art  a  Samaritan,  and  hast  a  devil." ^  "And  if  they 
have  called  the  master  of  the  house  Beelzebub,  how  much 
more  shall  they  call  them  of  his  household?"^  "The  dis- 
ciple is  not  above  his  master,  nor  the  servant  above  his  lord."* 
The  Lord  was  the  pattern  of  all  wisdom  and  charity,  and  if 
He  did  not  escape  being  insulted  with  opprobrious  names, 
neither  shall  we,  let  our  wisdom  and  charity  be  what  they  may. 
Dear  Lord,  one  thing  I  implore  of  Thee,  preserve  me  from 
carnal  prudence,  so  that  I  may  never  think  of  purchasing  a 
false  peace  with  the  world.  I  know  full  well  how  little  it  costs, 
according  to  the  proverb,  "  Wash  my  face  and  I  will  wash 
thine,  so  we  will  both  look  well."     And  again, — 

If  thou  wouldst  live  a  life  of  ease, 
Listen  and  look,  but  hold  thy  peace. 

1  Heb.  X.  33 ;  Matt.  v.  12.  ^  John,  viii.  48. 

3  Matt.  X.  25.  ^  Matt.  x.  24 ;  John,  xiii.  16, 


Lord  is,  there  is  Liberty.  261 

He  who  will  condescend  to  act  in  this  way  may  indeed  live 
quietly  in  the  world,  but  I,  for  one,  will  not  spend  a  crown  to 
gain  a  farthing.  No  :  like  Moses,  I  choose  "  rather  to  suffer 
affliction"  with  the  people  of  God,  than  to  enjoy  the  pleasures 
of  sin  for  a  season. ^  Dear  Lord,  well  do  I  know  that  the 
reproach  which  is  borne  for  Thy  sake  is  honourable,  and  that 
the  spirit  of  glory  rests  upon  it.^  Let  them  call  me  what  they 
please,  I  know  that  with  Thee  I  bear  a  glorious  name — a  new 
name,  which  the  world  knoweth  not.^ 

In  these  days  they  have  again  invented  a  name  with  which 
to  asperse  the  man  who,  as  he  treads  the  narrow  way,  carries 
his  piety  a  single  inch,  perhaps,  beyond  their  own  : — they  call 
him  a  Pietist.  And  what  does  that  mean  ?  Does  it  mean  a 
man  who  has  the  form  of  godliness  while  denying  its  power  ? 
and  do  they  really  look  upon  us  as  hypocrites  ?  Well,  if  in  our 
days  there  are  Christians  whose  hearts  are  not  right  with  the 
Lord,  who  make  an  outward  trade  of  godliness,  and  for  that 
purpose  put  on  the  cloak  of  piety,  without  having  a  pious 
heart  beneath  it,  ought  this  to  be  at  all  wonderful,  considering 
that  even  the  infant  Church  had  its  Ananias  and  its  Simon  the 
sorcerer  ?  If  there  be  not  a  hair  in  all  the  world  which  does 
not  cast  its  shadow,  who  can  marvel  that  in  the  vast  net  of  the 
Church  there  should  be  found  foul  fish  as  well  as  good,  and 
among  the  vessels  in  the  great  house  of  Christ  some  to  dis- 
honour as"  well  as  some  to  honour  ?  ■*  It  is  certainly  possible 
that  among  the  various  sorts  of  people  who  in  these  days  call 
Christ  their  Lord,  there  may  be  persons  who  take  to  heart  the 
proverb,  "  Be  half  a  saint  and  half  a  rogue,  and  you  will  live  a 
long  and  prosperous  life."  We  know,  however,  what  sentence 
the  Lord  has  pronounced  against  such  hypocritical  piety  :  it  is, 
"  They  have  their  reivard^  ^  They  have  sought  honour  and 
gain  of  7nen^  and  honour  and  gain  they  have  found,  but  that  is 
all  they  will  get. 

We  must,  however,  concede  to  the  world  that  it  is  not  merely 

1  Heb.  xi.  25.  2  J  pet_  jy_  j^^  3  Rgv.  ii.  17. 

^  Matt.  xiii.  48  ;  2  Tim.  ii,  20,  5  Matt.  vi.  2. 


262  45  •    Where  the  Spirit  of  the 

among  hypocrites  that  Pietism  finds  a  home.  Even  among 
Christians — persons,  who  are  really  concerned  about  their 
salvation — there  are  those  who  may  be  justly  upbraided  with 
carrying  their  piety  too  far.  At  the  bottom,  no  doubt,  this  is 
senseless  language,  for  never  can  we  have  too  much  of  any- 
thing that  is  really  good.  What  I  mean  to  say  is,  that  a  Chris- 
tian, even  when  his  heart  is  right  with  God,  may  fall  into  a 
narrow  and  gloomy  habit  of  feeling  his  spiritual  pulse,  pre- 
ferring one  day  to  another,  measuring  his  steps,  and  anxiously 
grasping  even  the  fringes  on  the  robe  of  Christianity.  Now, 
inasmuch  as  that  cannot  be  a  right  kind  of  Christianity  which 
does  not  flap  its  wings  with  joy,  alacrity,  and  freedom,  and  just 
as  little  that  which  contracts  instead  of  expanding  the  mind, 
turns  it  outwards  instead  of  inwards,  and  makes  it  melancholy 
instead  of  cheerful,  the  name  of  Pietism  may  rightly  be  applied 
to  such  narrow-mindedness.  In  that  case,  however,  the  name, 
strictly  speaking,  can  signify  only  a  false  kind  of  piety.  Piety 
ought  to  be  \\\^  fountain  of  our  life,  but  a  man  may  take  it  into 
his  head  to  make  it  life's  only  business.  Piety  ought  to  be  the 
soul,  but  a  man  may  attempt  to  make  it  the  stibject-?natter,  of 
all  he  does  or  leaves  undone.  Piety  ought  to  be  the  cefitre  of 
our  life,  but  a  man  may  take  a  notion  of  making  it  also  the 
circu7nfere?ice.  And  let  the  eye  once  begin  to  look  too  much 
away  from  the  centre  to  the  circumference,  and  then  room  will 
be  made  for  another  infatuation.  No  doubt  Christianity  ought 
to  be  a  tree  which  has  not  only  sap  in  its  roots  but  green 
leaves  on  its  twigs  and  branches.  Some  one,  however,  may 
fooHshly  suppose  that  unless  the  selfsame  verdant  twigs  and 
branches  which  grow  upon  one  tree  grow  also  upon  every  other, 
there  must  be  some  defect  at  the  root,  and  so  may  fancy  it  his 
duty,  both  in  his  own  case  and  that  of  others,  to  clip  the  twigs 
and  branches  until  they  are  all  alike,  or  even  in  the  room  of 
some  missing  branch  may  try  to  insert  an  extraneous  graft 
which  has  not  sprung  spontaneoiisly  from  the  root.  In  a  garden, 
however,  the  green  twigs  and  branches  which  grow  upon  one 
tree  are  never  precisely  like  those  which  grow  upon  another. 


Lord  is,  there  is  Liberty.  263 

although  in  both  the  root  may  be  perfectly  sound;  and  just  as 
little  are  the  branches  produced  by  the  root  of  faith,  all  per- 
fectly alike ;  but  in  such  a  case  it  does  no  good  to  clip  and 
prure,  and  far  less  to  ingraft,  because  only  what  grows  out  of 
the  root  is  of  any  value.  To  make  the  watch  go  right,  it  will 
be  of  no  use  to  operate,  however  skilfully,  upon  the  dial,  so 
long  as  the  works  within  are  out  of  order.  There  is  a  text 
which  says,  *'  Where  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is,  there  is  liberty  ;  "  ^ 
and  as  there  is  no  liberty  where  such  importance  is  ascribed  to 
mere  external  things,  so  is  this  also  a  false  kind  of  piety,  and 
justly  may  it  be  nicknamed  Pietism. 

At  the  same  time  it  is  necessary  in  such  cases  to  discern  the 
spirits ;  ^  for  here,  as  in  various  bodily  diseases,  the  outward 
symptoms  may  be  the  same,  although  they  arise  from  very 
different  causes. 

In  the  first  place,  discriminate  whether  or  not  the  narrow- 
7nindediieSs  which  makes  piety  the  sole  biisiiiess  of  life,  to  the 
exclusion  of  every  other,  belongs  to  the  suckling  stage  of  Chris- 
tianity, and  consequently  may  not  merely  consist  with  a  heart 
that  has  been  recruited  by  grace,  but  may  spring  from  a  heart 
that  is  too  full.  This  happens  when  the  grace  of  God  is  pleased 
to  translate  the  soul  from  the  land  of  Egypt  and  the  house  of 
bondage  into  the  land  of  promise  in  a  sudden  and  imforesee7i 
way,  which  is  the  method  Providence  prefers  to  take  with 
strong  and  ardent  characters  like  Paul  and  Luther.  Such  per- 
sons previously  hated  with  their  whole  heart  the  holy  land ; 
and,  when  surveying  it  from  among  the  flesh-pots  of  Egypt, 
saw  nothing  but  a  strange  and  widespread  darkness  brooding 
o'er  its  plains.  When,  therefore,  they  are  by  divine  grace  set 
at  once  upon  the  heights  of  Carmel,  and  turn  their  eye  toward 
Egypt,  they  behold  its  mountains  and  valleys  everywhere 
covered  with  clouds  and  darkness  too  dense  for  even  a  single 
sunbeam  to  have  found  its  way  through.  The  laws  and  institu- 
tions of  the  state — the  social  intercourse  of  the  world — its  fine 
arts  and  sciences — all  that  it  loves  and  lives  for,  appear  like  a 

1  2  Cor.  iii.  17.  ^  i  Cor.  xii.  10. 


264  45-    Where  the  Spirit  of  the 

long  and  weary  night  or  a  lying  vision,  or  at  the  best  a  miser- 
able Martha  service,  quite  unworthy  of  souls  like  Mary's. 
Having  lived  a  long  life  in  total  oblivion  of  the  one  thing 
needful,  they  now  wish  all  at  once  to  recover  their  lost  ground. 
They  have  occupied  themselves  long  enough  with  secular 
affairs,  and  can  no  more  be  satisfied  with  the  amount  of  their 
labour  in  the  spiritual  field.  Accordingly,  they  must  be  always 
speaking  on  sacred  subjects,  always  praying  and  preaching, 
and  always  censuring  the  wicked  world.  It  often  happens, 
also,  that  while  they  are  thus  employed  the  proper  time  cannot 
be  found  for  the  manifold  duties  which  the  routine  of  common 
life,  nay,  which  nature  and  their  family  and  kinsmen,  impose. 
And  he  who  cannot  go  along  with  them  in  this  violent  onset 
upon  spiritual  things,  must  consent  to  bear  their  censure  for 
sloth  and  backsliding.  What  is  there  in  all  this,  however, 
which  ought  to  excite  surprise?  It  was  not  like  a  gentle 
whispering  breeze,  but  in  storm  and  earthquake,  that  the  new 
life  came  to  souls  of  this  description,  and  so  at  the  first  there 
must  be  a  deal  of  rubbish  and  dust.  In  such  a  case  it  is  not 
possible  that  the  old  and  new  things  can  all  at  once  find  their 
equilibrium  and  agree  with  each  other. 

How  can  the  goblet's  narrow  rim  confine 
The  swell  and  ferment  of  the  frothing  wine  ? 

Do  not,  then,  proceed  too  hastily ;  do  not  from  without  pour 
water  upon  so  sacred  a  flame.  The  best  physician  for  a 
malady  of  this  sort  is  time.  When  God  by  His  grace  trans- 
lates him  into  the  kingdom  of  His  dear  Son,  a  man  is  like  a 
child  born  into  a  strange  world.  The  age  of  infancy  is  that 
of  the  undeveloped  flower — the  season  when  the  whole  spir- 
itual man  still  lies  enclosed  in  the  bud  of  strong  feeling.  Be- 
ware of  wiping  off  from  it  with  too  rash  a  hand  the  morning 
dew.  The  longer  the  dew  lies,  the  stronger  will  the  flower 
grow,  and  as  the  noonday  sun  will  come  of  itself  and  drink 
it  up,  there  is  no  need  for  such  precipitate  action.  The 
spiritual  child  waxes  to  the  age  of  manhood,  the  bud  unfolds 


Lord  is,  there  is  Liberty.  265 

itself,  the  years  of  infancy  go  past,  and  as  manhood  approaches, 
reflection  also  springs  up  out  of  the  strong  feeling.  It  then 
becomes  manifest  to  him,  and  indeed,  if  he  reflects  at  all, 
cannot  escape  his  notice,  that  the  exercises  and  outward  form 
of  piety  would  be  far  too  narrow  a  circle  for  life,  and  that  were 
piety  to  be  made  life's  sole  subject  and  business^  the  monastery 
would  have  to  become  our  world.  His  eye  turns  to  all  the 
forms  in  which  life  goes  on  around  us,  and  then  he  cannot 
fail  to  see,  especially  in  the  environs  of  our  Christian  world, 
that  there  is  scarcely  anything  which  has  remained  altogether 
unaffected  by  the  "  Light  which  lighteth  every  man  that 
cometh  into  the  world; "^  and  that  at  any  rate  civil  institu- 
tions, social  relations,  the  arts  and  sciences,  are  all  vessels 
into  which  it  is  possible  to  pour  a  new  and  holy  life,  and  in 
that  way  secure  for  it  a  vast  field  of  operation.  The  Chris- 
tian, grown  up  to  manhood,  perceives  that  piety  is  doubtless 
the  foimtain  out  of  which  the  whole  of  life  ought  to  be  ferti- 
lised, but  not  life's  single  object.  At  the  same  time,  he  learns 
in  general  to  direct  his  view  not  so  much  to  the  outward 
circle,  the  branches  and  the  shoots  of  piety,  but  rather  to  the 
soundness  of  the  centre,  and  to  the  sap  and  vitality  of  the  root. 
What  is  true  of  the  member  is  likewise  true  of  the  whole 
body.  The  Church  of  the  Lord  here  on  earth  has  likewise 
had  its  days  of  childhood — a  time  when,  like  the  individual 
disciple,  it  was  fed  upon  milk.  To  it  the  new  Spirit  came 
like  a  stormy  wind  and  an  earthquake.  Then,  too,  did  be- 
lievers' hearts  so  largely  overflow,  that  their  action  at  first 
pointed  wholly  and  exclusively  in  the  direction  of  piety,  al- 
though not  in  the  way  of  manifesting  so  much  as  in  that  of 
propagating  it.  All  of  them  at  once  became  preachers  and 
heralds,  who  proclaimed  by  sound  of  trumpet  the  joyful  mes- 
sage to  the  world ;  and  in  this  occupation  they  spent  almost 
the  whole  of  their  days.  The  entire  life  of  the  old  heathen 
world,  with  whatever  elements  of  truth  or  falsehood  it  con- 
tained, lay  before  them  like  a  Canaanitish  land.  It  was  no 
^  John,  i.  9. 


266  45-    W^i^re  the  Spirit  of  the 

time  for  truce  or  treaty  of  peace.  On  the  contrary,  "  Root  up 
what  is  an  abominatioji  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,'^  was  the  war- 
cry  with  which  the  spiritual  Israel  broke  into  the  territory  of 
the  enemy.  Now,  doubtless,  that  too  was  a  narrow  and  ex- 
clusive Christianity ;  but  yet,  at  the  particular  time,  how  need- 
ful was  it  that  the  activity  which  had  gushed  out  of  the  new 
faith  should,  in  its  turn,  make  the  confirmation  and  settlement 
of  the  faith  its  sole  business,  in  order  at  the  first  to  foster  the 
power  from  which  all  the  other  gifts  and  energies  of  this  life 
were  to  receive  their  consecration  1  Woe  to  him  who  should 
then  have  attempted  to  pour  the  water  of  cool  reflection  upon 
the  fire  of  joyful  enthusiasm  !  At  that  time  also  it  would  have 
been  wrong  to  wipe  away  with  too  hasty  a  hand  the  morning 
dew  from  the  flower  which  it  was  destined  to  foster  and 
strengthen.  The  sun,  however,  ascended  higher  into  the 
heavens ;  the  Christian  Church  speedily  attained  to  man- 
hood ;  and  then  likewise  the  Christian  life  deposited  itself  in 
all  the  forms  which  heathenism  offered  for  its  use.  And  as 
Israel  borrowed  from  the  Egyptians  their  vessels,  in  order 
to  employ  them  in  the  service  of  the  Lord,  so,  as  an  eccles- 
iastical Father  says,  did  the  Church  appropriate  the  moulds 
and  vessels  in  which  the  life  of  heathenism  had  manifested 
itself,  and  consecrate  them  to  the  truth  which  came  from 
God.  There  arose  a  Christian  state,  a  Christian  science,  and 
a  Christian  art. 

Wherever,  therefore,  it  is  the  overflow  of  the  heart  and 
feelings  in  the  infancy  of  God's  children  which  causes  an 
exclusive  restriction  to  employments  of  a  religious  kind,  and 
a  repudiation  so  complete  of  whatever  is  not  strictly  Christian, 
no  one  ought  to  censure  or  apply  unworthy  names  to  what 
God  Himself  has  so  wisely  ordained.  "  When  I  was  a  child," 
says  St  Paul,  "  I  spake  as  a  child,  I  understood  as  a  child,  I 
thought  as  a  child ; "  and  in  saying  this,  he  does  not  mean  to 
taunt  himself  for  what  he  had  been.  The  time  to  taunt  and 
criticise  does  not  begin  until  the  childishness  is  carried  over 
into  the  age  of  manhood.     Even   in   that  case,  however,  it  is 


Lord  is,  there  is  Liberty.  267 

necessary  to  draw  a  distinction  between  those  who,  in  the 
practice  of  piety,  direct  their  attention  chiefly  to  such  out- 
ward works  and  employments  as  prayer-meetings  and  going 
to  Church,  reading  books  of  devotion,  religious  conversation, 
especially  lecturing  and  censuring  the  world,  and  judging, 
condemning,  and  excommunicating  others,  while  there  is 
still  a  flow  of  sap  in  the  root  from  which  these  shoots  and 
branches  spring  up ;  and  those,  on  the  other  hand,  in  whom 
the  sap  of  the  root  has  gradually  been  dried  up,  and 
not  till  then  has  the  grafting  of  external  employments  from 
without,  and  the  clipping  of  the  shoots  and  branches  com- 
menced. For  only  in  the  case  of  those  with  whom  the  root 
was  -either  dry  at  the  first  or  was  gradually  dried  up,  can 
it  be  confidently  affirmed  that  godliness,  according  to  the 
expression  of  the  apostle,  has  been  turned  into  a  trade. 
Religion  is  not  a  thing  which  may  be  learned,  as  one  learns 
to  make  shoes  or  a  doublet.  We  cannot  say  to  the  learner, 
*'  My  friend,  in  so  many  weeks  or  months  you  will  master  the 
business,  or  in  two  years  will  become  a  journeyman."  They 
who  learn  piety  in  that  way  grow  up  to  be  dry  formalists,  who 
will  dispute  about  the  baptismal  certificate  or  the  cradle,  with- 
out thinking  for  a  moment  of  the  child  vv^hich  it  contains — 
scrupulous  pedants,  who  leave  seventy  lawful  things  undone  in 
order  not  to  fall  into  one  that  is  unlawful — men  who  at  the 
best  never  commit  a  fault,  but  whose  whole  life  is  nothing  else. 
Moreover,  it  also  comes  about  that  at  last  the  boundary  be- 
tween pietism  and  hypocrisy  can  no  longer  be  discerned. 
When  at  every  twenty  steps  upon  their  way  they  build  a  little 
sacramental  chapel,  in  which,  however,  there  is  no  sacrament ; 
when  several  times  a-day  they  ring  the  bells  but  have  no 
divine  worship ;  when  the  duties  of  public  and  domestic  life 
which  God  has  assigned  to  them  are  neglected,  because  they 
are  so  busy  offering  oblations  to  Him  that  they  have  no  time 
left;^  and  when,  while  so  negligently  fulfilling  their  own 
duties,  they  find  leisure  enough  to  criticise  without  mercy  the 

1  Mark,  vii.  ii,  12. 


268  45-    Where  the  Spirit  of  the 

manner  in  which  their  neighbour  fulfils  his, — that  is  the 
pietism  which,  in  strict  language,  is  to  be  called  bad.  It  is 
quite  another  thing  when  the  heart  is  present  in  all  such  out- 
ward work,  and  when  it  is  perchance  only  a  scrupulous  con- 
science that  impels  a  man  to  seek  salvation  in  such  stated 
pious  employments.  Of  this  sort  were  the  anxious  consciences 
with  which  Paul  had  to  do,  and  which  could  not  be  brought 
to  abstain  from  the  ordinances  they  had  inherited  from  their 
fathers,  and,  in  particular,  refused  to  eat  the  flesh  of  sacrificed 
animals,  being  apprehensive  that  they  might  thereby  be 
brought  into  fellowship  with  the  idols  to  which  the  flesh  had 
been  offered.  Now  in  all  cases  of  this  kind  it  would  be  most 
improper  to  have  recourse  to  club  law,  for  the  man  who  is 
afraid  of  his  conscience  fears  in  that  nothing  less  than  God, 
and  ought  therefore  to  be  always  treated  with  respect,  even 
though  his  groundless  scruples  may  betray  him  into  gross  acts 
of  folly.  With  persons  who  are  weak  in  this  way,  how  did  the 
apostle  Paul  himself  become  weak,  and  rather  than  offend 
their  consciences  was  willing  to  abstain  from  eating  flesh  all 
the  days  of  his  life  !  ^ 

But,  however  that  may  be,  where  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is, 
there  is  tiberty.  As  the  angel  asked  the  women  at  the  grave, 
so  may  we  here  put  the  question,  "  Why  seek  ye  the  living 
among  the  dead  ?  "  ^  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord,  wherever  it  is 
present,  submits  not  to  be  bound  by  outward  rules,  and  can 
as  little  be  held  and  restrained  by  dead  ordinances.  Luther 
says,  "  It  cannot  be  affirmed  of  Christ  that  lo.  He  is  here!  or 
lo,  there  f  and  neither  ought  it  to  be  so  affirmed  of  a  Christian. 
And  hence  no  man  may  confine  either  Christ  or  a  Christian 
within  certain  special  rules.  The  angel  said  of  Him, '  Be  is  not 
here.^  He  has  left  behind  Him  on  earth  the  husks  of  worldly 
righteousness,  of  piety,  of  wisdom,  of  law,  and  of  everything  of 
the  sort.  All  these  He  has  cast  quite  away.  Do  not  therefore 
seek  Him  in  the  things  which  are  upon  earth,  such  as  fasting, 
vigils,  raiment.  In  these  you  will  never  find  Him.  They  are 
1  I  Cor.  viii.  13.  2  Luke,  xxiv.  5. 


Lord  is,  there  is  Liberty.  269 

mere  shells."  Remark,  then,  in  the  first  place,  that  the  Spirit 
of  the  Lord  is  far  too  mighty  to  admit  of  His  being  enclosed 
within  any  rules  whatever;  nor  are  there  any  which  could 
possibly  comprise  all  His  motions.  It  is  consequently  impos- 
sible that  the  collective  army  of  Christians  should  one  and  all 
wear  the  same  uniform.  It  matters  not  although  the  coat, 
helmet,  and  boots  of  every  soldier  have  each  a  style  of  their 
own.  Enough  that  the  moment  the  cry,  "  The  Philistines  are 
upon  theef^^  is  heard,  they  are  seen  with  one  unanimous 
shout  flocking  to  the  same  banner  and  fighting  for  the  same 
cause.  Here,  too,  the  truth  is  that  the  wind  bloweth  where 
it  hsteth ;  and  as  thou  canst  not  tell  whence  it  cometh,  so  just 
as  X\X.t\Q  CBHSttliOMttW  whither  it  goeth;  which  means  that  no 
one  may  presume  to  place  a  barrier  or  erect  a  palisade  in 
order  to  determine  how  far  the  Spirit  is  to  drive  a  man.  If, 
however,  demagogues  take  the  field,  and  attempt  to  subvert 
all  order  and  laws,  the  case  has  been  provided  for.  Because 
the  apostle  has  likewise  taught  us  what  the  true  fruits  of  the 
Spirit  are,  in  the  following  words  :  "  The  fruit  of  the  Spirit  is 
love,  Joy,  peace,  long-suffering,  gentleness,  goodness,  faith,  ineekness, 
temperance^  ^  And  where  there  are  none  of  these,  neither  cer- 
tainly is  the  Spirit  there,  however  great  the  clamour  that  is 
made.  On  the  other  hand,  wherever  such  fair  and  goodly 
fruits  are  found,  there  also  does  the  heart  of  the  Christian 
comply  with  all  order,  discipline,  and  rule  which  are  conso- 
nant with  God's  Word ;  saving  only  that  he  does  not  become 
the  slave  of  any  one  of  them,  but  says  with  the  apostle  Paul, 
"  Though  I  be  free  from  all  men,  yet  have  I  made  myself  servant 
unto  all,  that  I  might  gain  the  more."  ^  I  have  hands,  feet, 
eyes,  ears,  and  a  tongue,  and  doubtless  it  behoves  that  these 
be  subservient  to  the  rule  and  laudable  usages  of  man.  My 
heart,  however,  is  free,  and  belongs  to  none  but  Christ  my 
Lord;  and  the  service  which  I  perform,  I  perform  for  no 
other  reason  or  motive  than  free  faith  and  free  affection.  And 
so  it  hkewise  is  with  all  the  decent  and  pious  observances  of 
1  Judges,  xvi.  14-20.  ^  Qal.  v.  22.  3  i  Qq^.  ix.  19. 


270  45-    Where  the  Spirit  of  the 

the  Christian  life.  Public  worship  I  will  certainly  attend.  I 
will  take  my  seat  at  the  Lord's  Table,  and  hold  fellowship  with 
those  who  are  my  brethren  in  the  faith.  In  the  morning  when 
I  rise  I  will  pray  to  my  heavenly  Father;  at  meal-time  will 
give  thanks  for  my  daily  bread ;  and  in  the  evening  assemble 
my  family  for  worship.  With  all  my  heart  will  I  give  up  the 
company  of  worldly  people,  their  foolish  talk,  their  banquet- 
ings  and  gluttony.  If  necessity  require,  I  will  rather  wear 
a  jacket  than  a  dress-coat,  and  rather  live  on  bread  and  water 
than  indulge  in  wine  and  delicacies.  But  although,  as  far  as 
need  be,  I  willingly  do  these  things  with  my  mouth,  and  hand, 
and  foot,  my  heart  must  be  above  them,  and  retain  its  freedom, 
unenslaved  by  any  external  work  or  custom,  however  laudable 
or  proper.  To  none  must  it  be  in  bondage  but  to  Christ,  who 
is  my  Lord  ;  Him  only  will  I  permit  to  bind  or  loose  my  con- 
science, and  when  He  gives  me  a  dispensation  no  pope  or 
schoolmaster  shall  interfere. 

What  care  I  for  the  moons  pale  rays, 
When  basking  in  the  sun's  bright  blaze  ? 

No  one,  therefore,  must  find  fault  with  me  if  at  any  time 
I  feel  the  desire  to  sing  my  psalm  under  the  pleasant  blue 
heavens  rather  than  in  the  church,  which  at  other  times  is  so 
dear  to  me ;  or  to  read  a  comedy  with  men  of  the  world  in 
place  of  reading  my  Bible  with  the  pious ;  or  now  and  then 
to  treat  myself  to  a  roast  in  place  of  always  eating  vegetables. 
It  was  thus  that  Luther  boldly  answered  the  hypocrites  of  his 
day,  "  If  it  was  right  for  God  to  make  great  oxen  and  fat  pikes 
and  good  Rhein  wine,  it  cannot  be  wrong  for  me  to  eat  and 
drink  them."  Neither  has  it  been  recorded  in  vain  that  our 
Lord  attended  the  marriage  in  Cana,  and  there  did  not  merely 
drink  water  and  eat  dry  bread.  At  the  same  time,  as  we  are 
all  aware  that  "  over-security  is  man's  worst  foe,"  it  will  also 
be  right  and  needful  to  reflect  that  the  holy  apostle,  when 
exhorting  us  "  to  make  provision  for  the  flesh,"  has  wisely 
annexed,  "  but  not  to  the  fulfilling  of  its  lusts ; "  and  that  St 
Peter  admonishes  us  to  be  "  as  free,  yet  not  using  our  liberty 


Lord  is,  there  is  Liberty.  271 

as  a  cloak  of  maliciousness,  but  as  the  servants  of  God^  ^  Even 
though  I  be  subject  to  no  outward  rule  or  custom,  I  must  still 
continue  inwardly  subject  to  God ;  and  were  I  to  find  that  such 
liberty  in  outward  things  tended  to  withdraw  my  heart  from 
Him,  the  bondage  would  again  recur,  but  now  it  would  be  to 
\\\Q^  fleshly  gratification^  as  formerly  to  the  spiritual  07'dinance; 
now  to  pleasure,  as  formerly  to  obligation.  It  still  continues, 
however,  to  be  bondage  and  idolatry,  whether  thy  idol  be  Baal 
or  Moloch;  for  it  is  written,  "  Thoic  shalt  serve  the  Loj^d  thy 
God,  and  Him  only.^"* 

Let  every  man,  therefore,. prove  his  own  heart,  whether,  in 
the  free  use  he  makes  of  the  good  things  of  life,  he  still  like- 
wise keeps  a  clear  conscience,  so  that  in  the  midst  of  his 
enjoyment  he  can  heartily  pray  to  God ;  and  in  cases  where 
he  cannot  do  that,  let  him  abstain,  for  it  is  also  written,  "  All 
things  are  lawful  unto  me,  but  all  things  are  not  expedient." 
You  may  safely  bring  iron  near  a  fire,  but  not  wax  or  paper. 
It  seems  to  me  a  very  instructive  story  that  is  told  of  the  pious 
hermit,  Nicholas  von  der  Fluhe.  One  day  he  received  a  visit 
from  a  vain  fop,  very  gaudily  arrayed,  who  put  to  him  the 
question,  "  Holy  brother,  what  think  you  of  my  dress  ? "  to 
which  the  pious  man  replied, — "7/"  thy  heart  be  good,  so  also 
are  thy  clothes ;  but  if  thy  heart  had  been  good,  thou  wotddst 
scarcely  have  dressed  thyself  in  clothes  like  these." 

All,  then,  dear  Master,  that  I  can  do,  is  to  implore  of  Thee 
to  keep  me  in  the  liberty  purchased  for  me  by  Thy  dear  life 
and  death,  that  I  may  know  no  other  righteousness  save  that 
which  comes  from  Thy  precious  merit,  and  may  seek  neither 
righteousness  nor  salvation  in  any  outward  thing  which  I  either 
do  or  leave  undone,  but  solely  in  this,  that  my  heart  cleaves 
in  strong  faith  to  Thee,  and  imbibes  from  Thee  its  strength 
and  its  peace.  All  external  statutes  and  ordinances,  and  all 
pious  usages,  however  beautiful  they  may  be,  are  not  beautiful 
or  lofty  enough  to  make  me  their  slave,  being  as  I  far  more 
am  a  servant  to  Thee.     Inasmuch,  then,  dear  Lord  and  Saviour, 

1  I  Peter,  ii.  i6. 


2/2  4^.   The  Heart  is  Deceitful. 

as  I  am  Thy  servant,  I  will  cordially  subject  myself  to  all  rule 
and  decent  custom  from  free  love ;  for  this,  as  it  was  done  by 
Thyself,  I  look  upon  as  being  wholly  consonant  with  Thy 
desire.  If,  however,  I  should  at  any  time  use  my  liberty  in 
such  a  way  as  to  impair  the  subjection  of  my  heart  or  the  bond 
of  my  affection  to  Thee,  be  pleased  at  once  to  take  me  under 
the  discipline  of  Thy  Holy  Spirit,  in  order  that  the  liberty,  that 
precious  privilege  which  Thou  hast  purchased  for  me,  may  not 
be  evil  spoken  of,^  but  that  at  all  times,  and  in  all  ways,  I  may 
walk  worthy  of  the  name  of  a  disciple  of  Jesus  Christ.  Help 
me  to  this  by  Thy  grace. 


46. 

^Tfjc  i^eart  is  Ileceitfiil 

Thou  mournest  that  whole  years  are  gone 
Ere  sinners  are  made  saints  ; 
My  faith,  when  told  it  can  be  done 
In  a  whole  lifetime, /z/V^/j-. 

For  enterprises  great,  you  know, 
A  re  in  the  execution  slow  ; 
And  can  there  be  a  work  so  great 

h.'i>  RUINED  SOULS  TO  RE-CREATE  ? 

//  God,  as  Holy  Scripture  says. 
To  make  the  world  took  six  FULL  days, 
No  marvel  MANY  A  YEAR  should  fleet, 
Ere  the  new  birth  isfotmd  complete. 

Jer.  xvii.  9.  "  The  heart  is  deceitful  above  all  things,  and 

desperately  wicked  :  who  can  know  it  ?  " 
Psalm  xxv.  5.   "  Lead  me  in  Thy  truth,  and  teach  me :  for 

Thou  art  the  God  of  my  salvation ;  on  Thee  do  I  wait  all 

the  day." 

1  Rom.  xiv.  16. 


46.   The  Heart  is  Deceitful  273 

EccLus.  ii.  2.   ''Set  thy  heart  aright  upon  God,  and  con- 
stantly endure." 

IT  is  certainly  disheartening  to  observe  that  even  when,  as 
the  effect  of  faith,  the  Sun  of  righteousness  has  risen  upon 
a  human  heart,  the  rays  penetrate  so  slowly  and  gradually  into 
all  its  depths  and  corners.  It  does  indeed  require  a  long  time 
to  fill  a  man  so  thoroughly  full  of  light  "  as  to  have  no  part 
dark,"i  either  in  his  head  or  in  his  heart.  We  cannot  contem- 
plate any  of  the  stations  or  relationships  in  which  we  stand 
towards  others  with  a  perfectly  clear  and  unclouded  eye.  The 
deceitfulness  of  sin  mingles  in  the  view  we  take  of  them  all. 
Of  this,  however,  we  are  not  aware  so  long  as  such  relation- 
ship lasts.  Just  as  objects  to  which  we  are  too  near  seem, 
when  we  inspect  them,  confused,  and  are  seen  in  their  true 
light  only  when  viewed  from  a  distance  ;  so  must  every  rela- 
tionship in  which  a  Christian  has  been  living  lie  a  considerable 
way  behind  ere  he  can  possibly  appreciate  the  power  exerted 
by  self-deception  over  him,  even  in  the  commonest  situations. 
I  am  astonished  at  the  vast  confidence  which  many  entertain 
that  they  see  all  things  in  the  right  light  and  do  all  things  in 
the  right  way.  It  seems  to  me  that  experience  should  have 
taught  every  one  rather  to  take  for  granted  beforehand  that, 
in  whatever  circumstances  he  may  be  placed,  he  only  sees 
some  thifigs  with  a  clear  and  untroubled  eye,  many  things 
through  magnifying  or  diminishing  lenses,  but  by  far  the  most 
things  through  coloured  glass.  You  talk  of  experience  !  but 
until  a  man  has  advanced  so  far  in  repentance  and  faith  as  to 
have  discovered  the  black  peppercorn  in  the  heart,  which  is 
the  name  the  Arabians  give  to  self-love,  he  may  wander  about 
on  every  hand  and  yet  experience  nothing. 

If  thou  wouldst  have  thy  compass  safely  guide  thee, 
Look  to  the  loadstones  that  may  be  beside  thee. 

What  advice,  then,  is  to  be  given  to  one  who  by  the  help  of 
1  Luke,  xi.  36. 
S 


2/4  4^-   The  Heart  is  Deceitful. 

the  Spirit  of  God  has  become  sensible  of  the  enormous  amount 
of  self-deceit  which  incessantly  pursues  even  the  sincere  Chris- 
tian ?  There  are  remedial  means  and  applia7ices.  But  before 
mentioning  them,  it  must  be  premised  that,  in  order  to  learn 
the  immeasurable  depth  at  which  the  disease  is  seated,  thy 
soul  must  be  kept  in  \kiQ  proper  frame  and  posture.  Be  not  too 
soft  and  faint-hearted,  nor  yet  too  hot  and  impatient.  Learn 
by  degrees  to  tolerate  thyself. 

Man's  heart  is  an  abyss  profound  ; 

Dig  deep  if  thou  wouldst  reach  the  ground  ; 

And  call,  when  weary  with  the  spade, 

Unflinching  patience  to  thine  aid. 

If  God  be  pleased  with  thee  to  bear. 

Why  shouldst  thou  of  //zyji?^ despair  ? 

This  is  an  admonition  which  the  soul  at  every  new  mortify- 
ing discovery  should  take  home.  As  to  the  remedies,  we 
would  say  to  thee  first  of  all,  "  Go  into  thy  closet."  That  is 
the  place  in  which  all  the  stations  and  relations  in  which  we 
stand  to  those  about  us,  as  husbands,  wives,  friends,  superiors, 
and  domestics,  ought  to  be  passed  in  review,  and,  under  a 
sense  of  the  divine  presence,  made  the  subject  of  special 
reflection.  Many  of  these  have  come  down  to  us  from  the 
time  when  we  had  other  masters  than  Christ,  and  have  not  yet 
been  thoroughly  reformed.  Moreover,  if  our  purpose  be  to 
mortify  the  old  Adam,  we  shall  find  that  in  some  of  them  we 
still  give  free  rein  to  his  wiles,  or  it  may  also  happen  that  for 
lack  of  watchfulness  certain  weeds  once  suppressed  have  again 
acquired  strength,  and  are  quietly  luxuriating.  In  all  such 
cases  a  spiritual  Passover  must  be  celebrated  afresh,  and  from 
every  corner  into  which  it  has  crept  the  old  leaven  must  be 
purged  out  by  the  new  leaven  of  godly  sincerity  and  truth. 
Let  not  the  question  which  you  put  to  yourself  be  simply,  Am 
I  a  Clu'istian  1  but  let  it  further  be.  Am  I  a  Christian  father .? 
— a  Christian  friend  ? — a  Christian  master  1 — a  Christian  sub- 
ject'i — and  a  Christian  man  of  business  1  Now,  to  ascertain  all 
this  you  wili  require  a  mirror,  and  the  mirror  is  the  Word  of 


46.    The  Heart  is  Deceitful.  275 

God,  which  holds  up  to  us  noble  patterns  and  portraits  of  every 
description.  Thus  the  boy  may  ask  himself,  Am  I  a  Christian 
child  like  Jesus,  who  was  in  all  things  subject  to  His  parents, 
and  increased  in  wisdom  and  favour  with  God  and  man  ?  ^ 
The  youth  may  inquire,  Am  I  a  Christian  youth  like  Timothy, 
fleeing  youthful  lusts,  and  following  after  righteousness,  godli- 
ness, faith,  love,  patience,  and  meekness  P^  So  too  \\\Qjna7t: 
Am  I  a  Christian  man  like  Paul,  and  can  I,  like  him,  say  that 
I  have  laboured  more  abundantly  than  they  all,  yet  not  I,  but 
the  grace  of  God  that  was  with  me  ?  ^  In  like  manner  may  the 
grey-haired  veteran  ask  himself,  Am  I,  in  my  old  age,  like 
Simeon,  who  could  not  depart  in  peace  until  his  eyes  had  seen 
the  Saviour  ?  *  Or  the  father :  Am  I  Christian  father,  never 
provoking  my  children  to  wrath,  but,  according  to  the  apostle's 
exhortation,  bringing  them  up  in  the  nurture  and  admonition 
of  the  Lord  ?  ^  And  so  likewise  the  mother :  Am  I  a  Christian 
mother,  such  as  the  pious  Eunice,  who  taught  her  son  Timothy 
from  a  child  the  Holy  Scriptures?*^  And  so  too  may  the 
Christian  master  put  to  himself  the  question.  Do  I  walk  from 
morning  to  night  in  my  household  as  one  who  knows  that  I 
have  a  Master  in  heaven  with  whom  there  is  no  respect  of  per- 
sons ?  ^  The  Scriptures  are  thus  full  of  holy  types  and  patterns  ; 
and  yet  there  is  nothing  which  humbles  us  more  than  the  daily 
and  attentive  contemplation  of  the  holy  Lamb  of  God.  Oh, 
how  marvellous  an  example  is  His  !  adapted  alike  for  male  and 
female,  for  the  little  and  the  great,  for  men  of  low  and  men  of 
high  degree.  The  whole  narrative  is  written  for  this  purpose.  It 
is  so  high  above  the  ways  of  men,  and  yet  is  so  human  and  so 
benign.  At  first  it  shines  like  a  star,  too  remote  in  the  heavens 
for  us  to  reach,  and  then  again  it  rises  like  a  ruddy  dawn  in 
every  particular  heart ;  at  first,  like  the  blue  firmament  from 
afar,  it  fills  the  bosom  with  earnest  longings,  and  then  is  again 
transformed  into  human   flesh   and  blood.     Unquestionably 

1  Luke,  ii.  52.  2  j  Tim.  vi,  11.  3  j  Cor.  xv.  10. 

4  Luke,  ii.  29,  30.  ^  Eph.  vi.  4.  ^2  Tim.  i.  5  ;  iii.  15. 

"^  Eph.  vi.  9. 


2/6  4^.   The  Hcai't  is  Deceitful. 

there  is  no  light,  either  to  be  found  or  imagined,  which  is  so 
rich  in  grace,  and  so  efficacious  in  penetrating  and  dispersing 
the  thick  mist  of  self-delusion,  as  that  which  radiates  from  the 
image  of  Jesus  Christ. 

It  may  also  be  salutary  to  study  in  private  other  reUgious 
books,  and  especially  the  example  of  pious  persons.  In  par- 
ticula^r,  a  great  blessing  attaches  to  Biographies.  From  these 
we  learn  how  manifold  and  diverse  are  the  gifts  of  divine  grace, 
and  how  rich  and  abundant  the  heavenly  blessings  with  which 
the  Lord  endows  the  members  of  His  Church.  They  likewise 
show  that  there  are  ctx\.2cm  fundamental  laws  in  the  kingdom  of 
God  to  which  every  one  must  subject  himself;  and  teach  us  in 
particular  to  our  shame  that  at  all  times,  and  not  merely  in  the 
apostolical  age,  those  only  make  their  way  into  the  kingdom  of 
heaven  who  with  violence  and  force  press  into  it.  ^  But  of  all 
that  a  Christian  can  read  for  his  edification,  and  particularly 
for  his  growth  in  self-acquaintance,  nothing  is  so  precious  as 
the  dealings  of  God  with  individual  souls,  which  call  aloud  to 
us,  "Be  ye  followers  of  me,  even  as  I  also  am  of  Christ."^ 
Only,  due  attention  must  be  paid  to  the  clause,  "  as  I  am  of 
Christ^'  in  order  that  one  may  still  remain  our  Master,  and 
each  of  us  in  his  own  peculiar  way  follow  Him.  Moreover,  it 
is  with  much  reading  of  religious  books  as  with  the  supply  of 
oil  to  a  lamp, — care  must  be  taken  not  to  pour  too  much  upon 
the  flame,  unless,  indeed,  we  wish  to  put  it  out.  Rather  ought 
all  religious  books  to  be  like  streamlets,  which,  as  they  emanate 
from  the  Book  of  books,  guide  us  back  to  that  great  and 
goodly  fountain. 

In  like  manner,  many  pious  Christians  have  found  it  con- 
ducive to  their  spiritual  welfare  to  keep  a  reckoning  with  them- 
selves in  Diaries  ;  and  doubtless  many  blessings  are  connected 
with  the  practice.  There  is  nothing  for  which  a  human 
memory  is  so  ill  adapted  as  to  retain  a  constant  and  lively 
recollection  of  the  times  when  the  water-floods  roared  around 
us,  and  the  pit  opened  its  mouth  as  if  it  would  swallow  us  up, 

1  Luke,  xvi.  i6 ;  Matt.  xi.  12.  2  j  Q,qx,  xi.  i. 

4^^ 


46.   The  Heart  is  Deceitful  2'j'j 

and  when — to  put  to  shame  our  despondency — the  hand  of 
God  was  marvellously  stretched  from  heaven  to  take  hold  of  us, 
as  David,  the  servant  of  the  Lord,  experienced  "  at  the  time  the 
Lord  delivered  him  from  the  hand  of  all  his  enemies,"  and  as 
he  has  thus  described  it :  "  He  sent  from  above,  He  took  me, 
He  drew  me  out  of  many  waters."  ^  Oh,  how  forgetful  the 
children  of  men  appear  to  be  of  the  lessons  which  they  are 
taught  respecting  God's  fatherly  care  and  wondrous  compas- 
sion, and  the  salutary  uses  of  affliction  !  seeing  that,  although 
the  Lord  has  already  a  hundred  times  guided  our  feet  through 
the  deep  waters,  we  are  yet,  in  every  new  emergency,  ready  to 
repeat  the  cry,  "Lord,  we  perish."  There  can  be  no  doubt, 
therefore,  that  it  is  a  forcible  discourse  which  a  diary  addresses 
to  a  man  when  it  presents  to  his  view  the  numberless  occasions 
on  which  his  soul  in  its  trepidation  exclaimed,  "  I  am  cut  off 
from  before  Thine  eyes,"  -■  and  was  then  afresh  compelled  to 
acknowledge  with  the  Psalmist,  "  Weeping  may  endure  for  a 
night,  but  joy  cometh  in  the  morning;"  or  to  say  with  Joachim 
Neander,  in  his  powerful  hymn, — 

"  How  oft  in  danger  o'er  my  head 
The  eternal  God  His  wings  hath  spread  ! " 

That  itself  is  a  goodly  blessing  which  may  be  derived  from 
Christian  diaries.  But  another  reason  for  which  these  books 
may  be  commended  is,  that  they  serve  as  a  directory  how  to 
walk  ^''  circitjnspectly,  not  as  fools  but  as  wise,"^ — that  they  fix 
and  preserve  to  all  times  the  blessing  of  those  bright  glimpses 
which  the  Lord  now  and  then  vouchsafes  into  His  mercy  and 
our  unfaithfulness,  so  that  when  they  have  been  long  kept  they 
cry  aloud  with  trumpet-tone  to  the  soul,  ''^  Know  that  the  Lord 
leadeth  His  saints  in  a  stra7ige  way.^'^  Notwithstanding,  how- 
ever, diaries  have  also  their  attendant  dangers.  The  soul  may 
come  at  last  to  reckon  up  in  the  Lord's  presence  the  fruits 
which  His  grace  has  allowed  to  grow  in  the  garden  of  the  heart, 

1  Psalm  xviii.  i6.  ^  Psalm  xxxi.  22. 

^  Eph.  V.  15.  '*  Psalm  iv.  4 — Luther's  vers. 


278  4^-   ^-^^^  Heart  is  Deceitful. 

and  quite  forget  that  there  is  no  other  ornament,  no  courtly 
robe,  in  which  it  can  be  acceptable  in  His  sight,  than  the 
blood  and  righteousness  of  Christ.  Another,  again,  may  begin 
to  keep  a  register  of  the  blossoms  on  the  tree  of  his  spiritual 
life — those  blissful  feelings  which  the  Lord  vouchsafes — and 
to  torment  himself  at  the  disconsolate  hours  he  has  passed, 
which  have  probably  originated  in  nothing  but  bodily  languor 
and  infirmity.  In  short,  there  is  danger  of  a  man  becomi7tg 
enamoured  of  himself^  and  ceasing  to  walk  before  his  God  in 
simplicity,  like  a  happy  child  who  has  been  saved  by  grace. 

But  of  all  the  ways  in  which  his  lines  can  fall  to  the  child 
of  God  who  is  anxious  to  be  saved  from  the  snares  of  self- 
delusion,  the  most  pleasant  is  when  God  vouchsafes  to  him 
the  gift  of  ?i  faithful  friend.  Such  a  friend  is,  indeed,  a  strong 
defence,  and  of  this  the  sages  of  the  olden  time  were  sensible. 
The  wise  son  of  Sirach  says,  '*  He  who  hath  found  such  an  one, 
hath  found  a  treasure.^''  ^  Solomon  the  preacher  thus  writes  : 
"  Two  are  better  than  one ;  for  if  they  fall,  the  one  will  lift  up 
his  fellow  :  but  woe  to  him  that  is  alone  ivJwi  he  falleth,  for  he 
hath  not  another  to  help  him  up.  .  .  .  And  if  one  prevail  against 
him,  two  shall  withstand  him,  and  a  three-fold  cord  is  not 
quickly  broken."-  The  Lord  Himself  sent  forth  His  disciples 
in  pairs ;  and  St  Paul  exhorts,  "Comfort  yourselves  together, 
and  edify  one  another."  ^  Oh,  how  well  can  a  faithful  friend 
edify  us  and  promote  our  welfare,  especially  when  we  not 
only  seek  the  refreshment  of  his  counsel  on  occasional  and 
transitory  emergencies,  but  when  we  can  take  him  along  with 
us  in  testing  the  matters  we  have  on  hand  in  our  everyday 
life,  and  can  say  to  him,  "  You  must,  as  my  friend,  strictly  ob- 
serve my  habitual  conduct,  and  never  be  pleased  with  aught 
that  is  displeasing  to  Christ  the  Lord  "  !  How  easily  the  eye 
of  a  friend  detects  what  escapes  our  own,  however  clear-sighted 
it  may  be  !  for,  as  the  Easterns  say,  "  The  sharpest  knife  does 
not  cut  its  own  handled  The  whole  town  may  ring  with  the 
evil  report  of  some  fault  we  have  committed,  without  ourselves 

1  Ecclus.  vi.  14.  2  Eccles.  iv.  9-12.  3  j  Thess.  v.  11. 


46.   The  Heart  is  Deceitful.  279 

in  the  least  suspecting  it.  And  in  such  a  case,  how  good  it 
is  that  even  the  clamour  of  enefjiies,  so  far  as  it  is  true,  should 
reach  us  through  the  gentle  mouth  of  a  friend,  and  thus  teach 
us  a  lesson  !  Yet  how  often  it  happens  that  not  even  the 
mouth  of  a  Christian  friend  dares  to  speak  a  word  of  truth, 
and  pleads  such  excuses  as,  '^  I  fear  he  would  take  it  ill,"  "  I 
fear  it  might  offend  him  "  !  But  he  who  takes  offence  at  the 
word  of  truth,  or  at  reproof  that  comes  from  the  mouth  of  a 
friend,  has  certainly  never  taken  home  to  himself  the  reproofs 
of  the  Holy  Spirit.  In  such  a  case  the  ground  has  not  yet 
been  thoroughly  digged.  No ;  the  main  point  in  all  Christian 
friendship  unquestionably  is,  that  the  parties  shall  stand  on 
such  a  footing  as  to  be  able  affectionately  and  without  fear  or 
anxiety  to  exercise  the  office  of  censors  towards  each  other, 
firmly  assured  that  they  shall  reap  nothing  but  brotherly  grati- 
tude for  their  pains. 

These  are  the  means  of  grace  by  which  the  deceitfulness  of 
sin  is  ever  more  and  more  exposed  to  view.  If,  however,  we 
find  that  in  spite  of  our  honest  fight  and  struggle  against  it, 
many  a  weakness  continues  to  grow  rank,  and  is  not  over- 
powered by  the  new  life  from  God,  we  may  yet  in  such  a  case 
take  comfort  from  the  thought  that  the  heavenly  Gardener 
knows  His  appointed  time  and  hour,  and  that  even  foibles  of 
that  description  will  be  made  to  work  for  good  to  the  soul  that 
is  sincere.  We  must  just  learn  to  have  patience  with  ourselves. 
The  fact  is,  as  expressed  by  the  Eastern  proverb,. that  "He 
who  will  not  mount  the  ladder  step  by  step,  will  never  reach 
the  roof  of  the  house."  Do  not  examples  such  as  that  of 
Luther  show  that  foibles  of  the  sort  are  often  so  closely  con- 
nected with  the  virtues  which  make  one  man  an  abler  instrument 
of  good  than  another,  that  it  must  needs  be  said,  "  Let  the 
tares  grow  together  with  the  wheat  until  the  time  of  hat'vest "  ? 
The  frailties  of  one  man  are  left  unsubdued  for  the  sake  of  his 
brethren,  because  they  hinder  the  Gospel  from  shining  in  him 
with  all  its  brightness,  and  thereby  adapt  him  better  for  minis- 
tering to  those  weak  members  whose  eye  is  yet  unable  to  bear 


2Bo  46.   The  Heart  is  Deceitful. 

the  pure  light.  To  another,  as  in  the  case  of  Paul,  the  thorn 
in  the  flesh  is  left,  lest  he  should  be  exalted  above  measure, 
through  the  abundance  of  his  gifts. ^  It  would  seem,  indeed, 
that  the  infirmities  of  the  Christian  serve  the  same  purpose  as 
heather,  grass,  and  weeds,  which  protect  the  growth  of  the  tree 
while  it  is  still  weak,  but  which,  when  it  has  attained  height 
and  strength,  it  has  power  of  its  own  to  suppress.  No  doubt 
all  depends  on  the  stout  and  earnest  resolution  never  to  look 
back  after  the  hand  has  once  been  put  to  the  plough.^  A 
vigorous  attack  is  half  the  battle ;  and  where  such  firm  resolu- 
tion is  wanting,  the  infirmities  of  which  we  speak  never  come 
to  an  end.  Rather  are  such  irresolute  Christians  like  the 
weak  sorts  of  grain,  which  have  always  weeds  and  grass  grow- 
ing among  them,  because  they  are  too  feeble  to  overtop  and 
suppress  them.  And  also  thus  it  is  that  we  see  certain  Chris- 
tians of  a  doubtful  hue  who  have  never  advanced  so  far  as  to 
renounce  obedience  to  all  other  masters  but  the  one,  and  who 
consequently  are  all  their  life  long  like  the  slave,  who  no  doubt 
would  fain  be  free  from  his  chain,  because  it  hurts  him,  but 
who  would  also  fain  keep  hold  of  it,  because  it  is  of  gold, 
God  grant  that  in  such  cases  the  tares  may  not  grow  so  rank 
as  at  last  to  choke  the  wheat !  He  who  aspires  to  the  honour 
of  having  the  Lord  for  godfather  must  bring  no  bastards  to  the 
baptismal  font. 

Alas  !  how  must  he  sweat  and  weep, 
At  every  step,  who  climbs  the  steep 

And  thorny  path  to  heaven  ! 
To  reach  that  high  and  blest  abode 
Baffles  all  strength,  save  that  by  God 

To  prayerful  pilgrims  given. 

Yet  He  who  measured  earth  and  skies, 
Has  also  set  by  counsel  wise 

A  limit  to  thy  grief ; 
And  come  it  will,  the  hour  which  He 
Has  chosen  as  the  best  for  thee, 

And  bring  at  last  rehef. 


1  2  Cor.  xii.  7.  2  Luke,  ix.  62. 


47-  A  j^i'St  Man  falleth  and  riseth  itp  again.      281 

47. 

%  just  i^an  falletjj  anti  risctj  up  again. 

"Alas/  I  often  fall, "  I  hear  thee  say. 

My  child,  let  not  these  falls  thy  heart  dismay  ; 

But  if  the  faithful  hand  thou  hold  not  fast 

Which  safely  guides  thee,  then  thy  doom  is  cast. 
His  fall  made  Peter  stronger  than  before — 

When  JUDAsy^//,  he  fell  to  rise  no  more. 

Prov.  xxiv.  16.  "  A  just  man  falleth  seven  times,  and  riseth 
up  again  :  but  the  wicked  shall  fall  into  mischief." 

Luke,  xxii,  61,  62.  "The  Lord  turned,  and  looked  upon 
Peter.  And  Peter  remembered  the  word  of  the  Lord,  how 
He  had  said  unto  him.  Before  the  cock  crow,  thou  shalt 
deny  me  thrice.     And  Peter  went  out,  and  wept  bitterly." 

Matt,  xxvii.  3,  4.  "  Then  Judas,  which  had  betrayed  Him, 
when  he  saw  that  He  was  condemned,  repented  himself, 
and  brought  again  the  thirty  pieces  of  silver  to  the  chief 
priests  and  elders,  saying,  I  have  sinned  in  that  I  have 
betrayed  the  innocent  blood." 

IF  in  the  life  of  the  Christian  the  sun  is  often  clothed  in 
sackcloth,  and  his  path  lies  through  storm  and  rain,  the 
sacred  Scriptures  nevertheless  present  us  with  striking  instances 
that  even  our  falls  do  not  put  us  to  shame,  provided  that  we 
can  contrive  to  rise  again ;  and  that  it  is  to  the  sickliest  of 
His  children  that  the  faithful  and  affectionate  hand  of  their 
Lord  and  Master  is  specially  held  out.  How  many  have 
fallen,  and  from  the  example  of  Peter  have  gained  strength  to 
rise  again  !  It  is  a  great  mercy  that  God  has  in  the  sacred 
Scriptures  recorded  this  example  for  our  use  ! 

He  whose  temperament  is  like  Peter's — soft  in  the  morning 
and  hard  at  night,  all  fire  to-day  and  all  frost  to-morrow — is 
the  readiest  to  despair  of  the  Lord's  ability  to  rear  out  of  such 


282      47'  ^  j^'^^i  Man  falleth  and  riseth  np  again. 

material  a  fabric  to  His  glory.  And  yet  it  was  to  this  apostle, 
and  to  no  other,  that  the  Lord  addressed  the  words,  "  Thou 
art  Peter,!  and  upon  this  rock  I  will  build  my  Church  ;  and 
the  gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against  it."^  We  are  aston- 
ished, but  our  astonishment  would  probably  not  be  quite  as 
great  if  we  knew  how  poor  and  uncouth  were  the  building 
materials  which  the  Lord  had  at  His  disposal  in  the  hearts  of 
the  other  disciples.  How  weak  they  were  in  the  faculty  of 
intellige7ice,  how  greatly  they  misunderstood  His  plainest  say- 
ings, are  facts  of  which  manifold  striking  instances  are  men- 
tioned.^ Doubtless,  also,  in  their  hearts  there  was  much,  very 
much,  for  divine  grace  to  purge  away;  as,  for  example,  the 
incredulity  of  a  Thomas,*  and  the  intemperate  zeal  of  a  John.^ 
One  thing,  however,  they  possessed — they  were  children^  and 
out  of  children  something  may  be  made,  for  they  submit  to  be 
trained  ;  and  therefore,  great  although  their  poverty  was,  the 
Lord  was  confident  of  success,  and  rejoiced  in  spirit,  and  said, 
"  I  thank  Thee,  O  Father,  Lord  of  heaven  and  earth,  that 
Thou  hast  hid  these  things  from  the  wise  and  prudent,  and 
hast  revealed  them  unto  babes."  ^ 

It  has  not  unfrequently  happened  to  me  to  hear  a  person 
say,  that  he  could  not  conceive  how  one  who,  like  Peter,  had 
afiirmed,  "Lord,  to  whom  shall  we  go?  Thou  hast  the  words 
of  eternal  life ;  and  we  believe  and  are  sure  that  Thou  art  that 
Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God," — could  afterwards  deny  his 
Master,  and  say^  with  an  oath,  ''  I  know  not  the  man."  Of 
that  I  am  not  so  sure,  for 

Wind  and  weather  overnight, 

Full  many  a  tender  flower  may  blight. 

No  doubt  the  man  who  has  once  fallen  is  attacked  by  the 
whole  world ;  but,  after  all,  does  not  all  depend  upon  the 
single  point,  what  weight  a  person  attaches  to  telling  a  lie .?  If 
the  dyke  which  ought  ever  to  stand  erected  between  the  heart 

1  The  name  signifies  rock— John,  i.  42,  ^  Matt.  xvi.  18. 

*3  Matt,  xvi.  6-9  ;  Luke,  xviii.  34  ;  Mark,  ix.  10  ;  John,  xiv.  8. 
4  John,  xi.  16;  XX.  25.  ^  Luke,  ix.  54.  ^  Luke,  x.  21. 


47-  A  jztst  Man  falleth  and  riseth  up  again.      283 

of  a  Christian  and  falsehood  have  been  broken  down — if,  be- 
tween the  truth  on  one  side  and  the  falsehood  upon  the  other 
the  compromise  vulgarly  termed  a  tvhite  lie  have  been  made — 
and  if  a  lie  of  that  sort  glide  over  the  lips  as  lightly  as  the 
word  of  truth — I  do  not  know  whether  in  the  hour  of  trepida- 
tion and  danger  many  who  now  boast  with  Peter, ''  Though  all 
men  should  be  offended  because  of  Thee,  yet  will  I  never  be 
offended,"  ^  would  not  fall  as  that  disciple  fell.  And  even 
though  we  might  not  on  that  night  have  fallen  like  him,  how 
many  of  us  would  have  stood  at  his  side  when,  in  the  face  of 
the  judges  who  had  crucified  the  Lord,  he  cast  the  testimony, 
''  We  ought  to  obey  God  rather  than  men.  The  God  of  our 
fathers  raised  up  Jesus,  whom  ye  slew  and  hanged  on  a  tree. 
Him  hath  God  exalted  with  His  right  hand  to  be  a  Prince  and 
a  Saviour,  for  to  give  repentance  to  Israel,  and  forgiveness  of 
sins.  And  we  are  His  witnesses  of  these  things  -,  and  so  is 
also  the  Holy  Ghost,  whom  God  hath  given  to  them  that  obey 
Him"?^ — how  many  of  us  would  have  stood  by  his  side  when 
he  submitted  to  be  beaten  with  rods,  and  "  departed  from  the 
presence  of  the  council  rejoicing  that  he  was  counted  worthy 
to  suffer  shame  for  His  name"?^  When  the  Saviour  was 
nailed  to  the  cross,  Peter  was  of  those  who  drew  back  ;^  but 
when  it  behoved  him  to  verify  the  words  which  Jesus  had 
spoken  respecting  him,  saying,  "  Whither  I  go,  thou  canst  not 
follow  me  now,  but  thou  shalt  follow  me  afterwards^^  ^  he  did 
not  draw  back,  but  by  actual  deeds  became  a  witness  of  the 
sufferings  of  Christ,*^  followed  in  his  Master's  footsteps  even  to 
the  ignominious  tree,  and  entered  into  the  fellowship  of  His 
cross.  How  many  of  us  who  stand  up  and  reproach  him 
would  have  followed  the  Saviour  so  far  ?  No,  Peter !  it  was 
no  unmeaning  word  when  thou  didst,  say  to  Jesus,  "Lord, 
Thou  knowest  all  things  ;  Thou  knowest  that  I  love  Thee" 

In  what  more  consolatory  way  for  all  of  unstable  heart  who 
stand  with  wavering  purpose  between  heaven  and  earth  could 

1  Matt.  xxvi.  33.  2  Acts,  iv.  19  ;  v.  29-32. 

3  Acts,  V.  41.  4  Heb.  x.  39.  ^  John,  xiii.  36.  ^  i  Pet.  v.  x. 


284      47-  ^  j^^^^  Mail  fa  lie  th  and  riseth  up  again. 

He,  whose  strength  is  made  perfect  in  the  weak,  have  mani- 
fested His  power  ?  Oh,  how  often,  when  I  have  felt  my  hands 
grow  weary  and  my  knees  faint — when  I  have  staggered  with 
uncertain  steps  from  side  to  side,  and  sighed, 

Oh,  when  will  this  dim  twilight  pass  away, 
And  I  an  outlet  find  to  perfect  day  ? — 

how  often  has  the  example  of  Peter  helped  the  fallen  child  to 
regain  his  feet ! 

It  is  true  that  a  long  time  must  have  elapsed  before,  in 
Peter's  case,  the  cure  reached  its  final  stage.  We  learn  that 
even  in  after-life,  when  he  had  gone  forth  to  preach  the  name 
of  Christ,  not  merely  did  the  old  Peter  still  conflict  with  the 
new,  but  that  the  new  was  overcome.  Paul's  account  of  the 
matter,^  no  doubt,  is  by  many  represented  in  a  far  worse  light 
than  it  deserves.  They  suppose  that  the  disciple  had  wholly 
lost  the  light  of  true  knowledge,  and  that  he  who  before,  in  the 
council  of  the  apostles  and  elders  at  Jerusalem,  and  in  the 
presence  of  a  multitude  of  believers,  had  been  courageous 
enough  to  challenge  the  zealots  of  the  law,  and  to  say,  "  Now 
therefore  why  tempt  ye  God,  to  put  a  yoke  upon  the  neck  of 
the  disciples,  which  neither  our  fathers  nor  we  were  able  to 
bear?  But  we  beheve  that  through  the  grace  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  we  shall  be  saved,  even  as  they,"  ^ — had  yet  pub- 
licly disowned  the  grace  of  Christ,  and  preached  up  the  right- 
eousness which  comes  solely  from  the  law.  That,  however,  was 
not  the  case.  All  he  did  was,  that  when  the  zealots  were 
come  from  Jerusalem,  he  abstained  from  eating  in  company 
with  the  Gentiles,  in  order  not  to  transgress  any  longer  the 
legal  ordinance  \  and  so  did  the  others  who  were  with  him.^ 
By  acting  thus,  no  doubt,  he  showed  that  he  feared  men  more 
than  God,  and  sinned  against  his  better  knowledge.  It  was 
for  this  that  his  brother  Paul  reproved  him,  and  that  he  humbly 
submitted  to  the  reproof;  for  although  the  apostle  does  not 
expressly  say  so  in  his  epistle,  such  must  have  been  the  case, 
1  Gal.  ii.  II,  12.  2  Acts,  xv.  10,  11.  ^  Gal.  ii.  12,  13. 


47-  A  just  Mail  falleth  and  riseth  icp  again.      285 

seeing  that  otherwise  Paul  could  not,  in  addressing  the  Gala- 
tians,  have  referred  to  the  reproof.  Now,  no  doubt,  it  is 
shameful  that  even  in  an  apostle  the  fear  of  man  could  have 
so  far  prevailed  over  his  better  knowledge  ;  and  this  may 
well  awaken  sad  reflections  upon  the  greatness  of  human 
frailty,  and  induce  us  with  double  self-distrust  to  take  home 
the  admonition,  "  Let  him  that  thinketh  he  standeth  take  heed 
lest  he  fall,"  and  to  renounce  all  reliance  upon  our  own 
strength.  On  the  other  hand,  however,  it  likewise  furnishes  a 
testimony  of  some  importance  to  the  truth,  that  in  a  human 
heart  much  grace  and  not  a  little  frailty  may  for  a  time  coexist 
side  by  side.  And  such  a  testimony  is  fraught  with  encourage- 
ment \  for  this  Peter  was  the  same  who  on  the  day  of  Pentecost 
laid  the  foundation-stone  of  the  Christian  Church,  rejoiced  to 
be  beaten  with  rods  for  the  name  of  Jesus,  and  afterwards  fol- 
lowed his  Master  to  the  cross.  Have  patience,  therefore,  with 
thyself,  thou  weak-hearted  disciple,  seeing  that  God  has  so 
much  patience  with  thee. 

But  how  came  it  to  pass  that  the  child  who  fell  so  often 
nevertheless  always  regained  his  feet?  He  did  indeed  often 
fall,  but  never  oiue  did  he  let  go  the  hand  that  led  him ; 
and  this  hand  lifted  him  up.  It  was  no  untruthful  word 
when  he  said,  ''Lord,  to  whom  shall  we  go?  Thou  hast 
the  words  of  eternal  life  j "  and  upon  another  occasion, 
"  Lord,  Thou  knowest  that  I  love  Thee."  Hence  was  it  that 
every  fall  brought  forth  repentant  tears,  and  repentant  tears 
increased  affection,  as  is  so  charmingly  described  after  his 
denial.  He  was  still  standing  by  the  fire  in  the  court  of  the 
high  priest  when  the  door  of  the  building  at  the  back  opened, 
and  the  Saviour  came  forth  from  the  judgment-seat ;  the  cock 
then  crowed  the  second  time,  and  "the  Lord  turned,  and 
looked  upon  Peter :  and  Peter  remembered  the  word  of  the 
Lord,  how  He  had  said  unto  him,  Before  the  cock  crow,  thou 
shalt  deny  me  thrice ;  and  Peter  went  out,  and  wept  bitterly ^  ^ 
Sharp,  no  doubt,  was  the  bitterness  of  these  tears — they 
1  Luke,  xxii.  6i,  62. 


286       47-  -A  just  Man  falleth  and  riseth  np  again. 

burned  like  aqua  fortis,  and  therefore  had  power  to  consume 
away  even  the  black  stain  of  the  denial.  Well  would  it  have 
been  for  Judas  if  he  could  have  wept  such  tears. 

Probably  when  Judas  appeared  before  the  chief  priests  and 
elders,  saying,  "I  have  sinned  in  that  I  have  betrayed  the 
innocent  blood,"  there  was  still  time  to  have  had  recourse  to 
the  friend  of  sinners.  Why  then,  unhappy  man,  didst  thou 
go  to  those  cold-hearted  hypocrites,  who  threw  back  thy 
money  with  a  "  What  is  that  to  us?  see  thou  to  that"?  Why 
didst  thou  not  hasten  to  Him  whose  innocent  blood  thou 
hadst  betrayed?  Why  didst  thou  not  from  the  foot  of  the 
cross  lift  up  thy  hands  to  Him  in  supplication  ?  No  doubt 
the  arms  which  used  to  be  extended  to  every  sinner  imploring 
pardon  were  then  nailed  to  the  accursed  tree,  but  for  certain 
He  would  not  have  said  to  thee  "  see  thou  to  that ; "  and  though 
He  could  not  have  stretched  forth  His  hand,  His  closing  eyes 
at  least  would  have  intimated  that  thou  wert  forgiven.  In  the 
heart  of  Judas,  however,  there  was  no  longer  either  love  or 
faith.  There  are  some  to  whom  the  saying  which  the  meek 
and  gentle  Son  of  God  uttered  against  His  betrayer  sounds 
stern  and  severe :  "  The  Son  of  Man  goeth  as  it  is  written  of 
Him :  but  woe  unto  that  man  by  whom  He  is  betrayed !  it 
had  been  good  for  that  man  that  he  had  not  been  born."i 
But  have  they  whom  this  offends  ever  cast  a  look  into  the 
night  of  a  human  heart  in  which  the  capacity  to  believe  a?td  love 
has  been  extinguished — a  heart  in  which  avarice  has  withered 
up  the  root  of  all  faith  and  affection?  The  hints  which 
Scripture  gives  explanatory  of  the  black  deed  of  the  betrayer 
are  few  j  but,  in  my  opinion,  they  are  sufficient  to  enable  us  to 
understand  the  final  fall  from  which  he  never  rose.  "Judas 
was  a  thief,  and  had  the  bag,  and  bare  ^  what  was  put  there- 
in;"  ^  and  when  the  self-forgetful  affection  of  Mary  brings  an 
offering  that  greatly  exceeds  her  means,  the  thief  comes  to  her 
under  the  mask  of  a  friend  of  the  needy  and  asks,  "  Why  was 

1  Matt.  xxvi.  24.  2  May  also  mean  "took  of  what  was  given." 

•^  John,  xii,  6. 


47.  A  just  Manfalleth  and  riseth  tip  again,      287 

not  this  ointment  sold  for  three  hundred  pence,  and  given  to 
the  poor?"  ^  These  few  words  seem  to  me  enough  to  dis- 
close the  blackness  of  the  man's  heart.  If  he  had  ever  been 
the  friend  of  God  he  could  not  have  been  so  with  more  than 
half  a  heart ;  and  his  case  verifies  the  proverb,  that  "  He  who 
only  gives  the  half  of  his  heart  to  God  gives  the  whole  of  it 
to  the  devil."  In  one  respect  the  love  of  money  is  worse  than 
every  other  vice  that  poisons  our  frail  blood,  in  that  it  deadens 
our  liveliest  sensibilities,  and  withers  up  the  soul.  He  who 
at  the  side  of  Jesus  could  continue  to  be  a  thief  of  money,  and 
of  money  which  was  destined  for  the  poor — he  who  imder  the 
eye  of  Jesiis  could  feign  compassion  for  the  indigent  while  he 
was  thinking  of  his  own  advantage — must  have  had  a  frame  of 
mind  which  can  hardly  be  imagined.  Could  there  have  been 
any  communion  with  God,  any  sincere  prayer  to  Him  ?  It  is 
impossible.  He  who  played  the  hypocrite  in  the  sight  of 
Christ  was  beyond  all  doubt  likewise  a  hypocrite  in  the  sight 
of  God.  If  in  his  heart  there  had  been  the  slightest  suscep- 
tibility of  love,  how  could  he  have  resisted  wheti  He  "who 
knew  that  He  was  come  from  God  and  went  to  God"  rose 
from  supper  to  wash  the  disciples'  feet,  and  knelt  even  at  the 
feet  of  a  Judas  ?  But  the  voice  of  affection  could  expect  no 
responsive  echo  from  a  heart  that  was  dead — dead  as  the  \ 
metal  to  which  it  had  been  sold.  It  is  written,  that  having  1 
received  the  sop,  he  went  immediately  out,  ^^  and  it  was 
night.^'^  That  night  without  was  but  a  counterpart  of  the 
night  within  his  soul.  He  had  ceased  in  his  daily  walk  to 
keep  hold  of  the  hand  of  God,  and  so  when  he  fell  the  hand 
of  God  did  not  keep  hold  of  him,  and  this  was  the  reason  why 
he  could  not  rise  from  his  fall.  No  doubt  it  is  written  that 
"  when  he  saw  that  Jesus  was  condemned  to  die,  he  repented 
himself;  "  ^  but,  unlike  that  of  Peter,  his  repentance  was  with- 
out tears.  It  was  the  repentance  of  terror  and  not  of  sorrow 
for  sin — the  repentance  which  fears  the  punishment,  not  that 
which  would  gladly  have  eiidiired  the  penalty,  if  it  could  but 

1  John,  xii.  5.  2  John,  xiii.  30.  3  Matt,  xxvii.  3. 


288      47'  ^  P''^^  Mail  falleth  and  riseth  up  again. 

have  undone  the  guilt.  For  this  cause  he  was  afraid  to  face 
God.  Here  God's  eye  had  looked  out  at  him  from  his  con- 
science, and  he  imagined  that  in  escaping  from  his  conscience 
he  would  escape  from  God's  eye. 

Here  stood  he  hid  behind  the  shade, 
There  stands  in  open  view  displayed ; 
And  all  that  once  his  soul  dismayed 
Has  with  him  to  the  judgment  gone. 
Poor  man  !  self-cheated  and  tmdom  ! 

Thrice  wretched  is  the  transgressor  to  whom  there  is  nothing 
left  but  a  tearless  repentance.  Such  a  repentance  preys  on  a 
man's  flesh  and  bone,  and  wastes  it  like  a  gangrene,  leaving 
him,  when  it  has  spent  its  force,  undone.  For  certain  there 
is  no  class  of  sinners  to  whom,  in  passing  sentence,  divine 
justice  will  apply  so  variable  a  rule  as  that  of  suicides.  For 
is  not  suicide  often,  as  it  were,  the  last  convulsive  and  in- 
voluntary gust  of  a  storm  which  has  been  raging  for  years  in 
the  bodily  tabernacle  ?  In  those  cases,  however,  in  which  it 
manifests  its  true  nature,  and  is  the  copestone  to  a  life-long 
slavery  to  sin,  and  where  the  sinner  leaps  into  the  dread 
abyss  because  sin  has  chased  him  over  hill  and  valley,  all 
weary,  to  the  brink,  at  which  the  last  act  of  his  life  is  the 
greatest  of  his  misdeeds  and  he  dies, — oh !  can  anything  be 
more  horrible  than  such  a  suicide  as  that  ? 

One  thing,  therefore,  O  my  Father  and  my  God,  do  I  im- 
plore of  Thee,  and  it  is  this — if  my  weakness  be  so  great  that 
I  cannot  avoid  falling,  vouchsafe  repentance  to  my  heart,  and 
let  not  my  repentance  lack  tears.  Behold,  I  can  say  with 
Peter,  I  know  not  where  else  to  go,  if  Thou  wilt  not  receive 
me.  Though  I  fall  ten  times  a-day,  still  with  Peter  I  can  say, 
"  I  know  that  I  love  Thee."  Fall  I  may,  but  never  more  shall 
I  quit  hold  of  Thy  hand  \  and  as  I  shall  not  let  it  go,  neither 
will  it  suffer  me  to  He  prostrate  on  the  ground,  but  will  lift  me 
up  again  :  and  when  at  last,  by  all  my  stumbling,  Thou  hast 
humbled  me  so  far  that  I  whdly  despair  of  myself,  and  from 
Thy  hand  alone   seek   my  strength  and    my  comfort,    then 


4S.  Abraham  against  Hope  believed  in  Hope.       289 

doubtless,  will  the  hour  at  last  come  in  which  all  my  steps 
will  be  steady,  and  my  walk  be  continually  upright  before  Thy 
face.     In  Thy  mercy  vouchsafe  to  me  this  boon.     Amen. 

Judas,  when  thou  hadst  sold  the  Lord,  and  when 
Thy  deep  remorse  the  council  laughed  to  scorn, 
Why  didst  thou  not  bethink  thee  to  return 

And  plead  with  Christ  to  save  thee,  even  then  ? 

Ah  !  at  His  feet  if  thou  thyself  hadst  thrown, 
Confessed  the  dreadful  crime,  and  mercy  craved  ; 
Love  on  the  bitter  cross  must  have  vouchsafed 

Such  pardon  as  the  tears  of  Peter  won. 

'Twas  not  too  late  to  weep  thy  guilt  away, 

If  sorrow  from  thy  heart  for  ever  gone 
Had  not  resigned  its  place  to  fell  dismay. 

Better  unborn  than  to  be  thus  undone  ! 
Thy  kiss  of  love  had  poison  in  its  breath, 
And  even  in  thy  repentance  there  was  death. 


48. 

Ibrajam  against  i^ope  ijeliebeb  in  i^ope. 

FaiW s part  is  TO  receive, 

And  God  to  faith  has  given 
All  that  is  His  to  give 

Either  in  earth  or  heaven. 

Love  distributes  the  gifts 

Which  she  from  faith  receives. 
Oh  what  a  blest  exchange  is  this 

In  which  the  Christian  lives  ! 

Rom.  iv.  18-22.    "Who  [Abraham]  against  hope  believed  in 

hope,  that  he  might  become  the  father  of  many  nations, 

according  to  that  which  was  spoken,  So  shall  thy  seed  be. 

And  being  not  weak  in  faith,  he  considered  not  his  own 

T 


290       4^-  Abraham  against  Hope  believed  in  Hope. 

body  now  dead,  when  he  was  about  an  hundred  years  old, 
neither  yet  the  deadness  of  Sarah's  womb :  he  staggered 
not  at  the  promise  of  God  through  unbeHef;  but  was 
strong  in  faith,  giving  glory  to  God;  and  being  fully 
persuaded  that  what  He  had  promised,  He  was  able  also 
to  perform.  And  therefore  it  was  imputed  to  him  for 
.righteousness." 

ABRAHAM  against  hope  believed  in  hope,  that  he  anight 
become  the  father  of  many  ?iations,  according  to  that 
which  was  spoken,  So  shall  thy  seed  be.  And  bei?7g  not  weak  i7i 
faith,  he  considered  not  his  own  body  now  dead,  when  he  was 
about  an  himdred  years  old,  neither  yet  the  deadness  of  Sarah's 
womb.  Such  is  faith.  It  is  believing  i7i  hope  agai?ist  hope. 
Here  below  everything  Abraham  saw  forbade  him  to  hope, 
but  looking  up  to  the  place  whence  the  promise  came,  he  then 
saw  nothing  but  the  strongest  grounds  for  hoping.  About  him 
upon  earth  the  flesh  found  ample  occasion  to  argue,  from  all 
that  met  his  eye,  a  negative  to  the  divine  promise,  and  clearly 
to  demonstrate  that  the  word  of  God  must  be  untrue.  But  he 
entered  into  no  disputation  of  the  kind,  or  if  this  were  at- 
tempted by  the  flesh,  his  faith  instantly  soared  high  above  it 
and  trustfully  took  hold  of  the  hand  which  God  stretched  forth 
to  him  from  heaven.  Yes,  such  indeed  is  faith  ;  it  cleaves  to 
the  things  unseen  as  if  it  saw  them.  This  is  no  doubt  a  hard 
lesson  to  learn ;  and  when  we  mark  how  many  there  are  who 
err  in  learning  it,  we  might  almost  be  tempted  to  say  with 
Luther,  "  The  wonder  is,  not  that  many  miss  the  way,  but 
rather  that  any,  however  few,  find  it ;  for  to  the  foolish  world 
what  else  can  faith  appear  but  the  dream  of  a  drunken  man?" 
As  it  was  not  by  disputation  that  faith  entered  his  own  mind, 
so  neither  is  it  possible  for  him  who  possesses  it  to  impart  or 
explain  it  by  disputation  to  another.  We  see  with  our  own 
eyes  when  the  day  has  actually  dawned,  and  need  no  argu- 
ments to  convince  us  of  the  fact.  To  attempt  to  explain  what 
light  is   before  it  has  enlightened  us,  is  to  attempt  to  see  it 


48.  Abrahaut  against  Hope  believed  in  Hope.       291 

before  it  has  shone.  Only,  however,  let  faith  come  forth 
among  men,  and  it  needs  merely  to  show  itself  in  its  actings, 
and  without  disputation  all  who  are  of  the  truth  fall  on  their 
knees  before  it,  so  undeniably  does  the  fact  that  there  lies  a 
world  unrevealed  behind  the  one  we  see  bear  witness  of  itself 
to  the  human  heart.  How  gradually  the  plants  which  the 
heavenly  Father  has  taken  under  His  protective  care  grow  and 
progress  through  wind  and  rain  !  There  was  once  a  time  when 
the  invisible  country,  which  is  the  home  of  faith,  seemed  to 
my  view  far  away  across  the  wide  ocean,  and  with  thick  mists 
resting  upon  its  shores,  but  by  little  and  little  my  soul  has 
become  domiciled  in  it.  The  apostle  tells  us  that  "  our  con- 
versation is  in  heaven,"  and  again,  that  "  our  life  is  hid  with 
Christ  in  God;"  and  dark  and  mysterious  must  these  words 
be  to  one  who  is  unacquainted  with  faith ;  but  to  him  who 
lives  by  it  they  are  a  simple  and  unmistakable  testimony 
to  the  truth.  There  have  been  philosophers  who  doubted 
whether  the  material  world  which  moves  before  our  eyes  has 
a  real  existence,  and  they  were  laughed  at  for  doing  so  ;  but 
with  much  greater  reason  might  a  believer  laugh  at  those  who 
doubt  the  existence  of  that  invisible  world  in  which  we  live, 
but  which  we  do  not  see.  Ought  we  not,  however,  rather  to 
weep  for  them  ?  It  is  said  of  the  blind,  to  whom  the  visible 
world  is  shut  out,  that  they  are  half  a  world  poorer  than  those 
who  possess  the  sense  of  sight ;  but  of  you  who  are  spiritually 
blind  it  may  truly  be  averred  that  you  are  poorer  by  a  whole 
world  than  we.  How  irresistible  is  the  power  which  the  word 
of  truth  acquires,  if  it  have  once  been  firmly  apprehended  by 
faith  !  All  created  things  in  the  visible  world,  yea,  even  our 
own  hearts,  may  set  themselves  against  it — 

But  though  the  creatures  great  and  small, 
And  though  this  vast  terrestrial  ball, 
And  though  my  heart  itself  say  \o, 
I'll  trust  Thy  word  before  them  all. 

No  doubt  the  struggle  is  always  hard  when  the  creatures 
and  the  visible  world  take  the  field  against  faith.     Paul  could 


292       4^'  Abraham  against  Hope  believed  in  Hope. 

challenge  to  the  conflict  tribulation,  and  distress,  and  persecu- 
tion, and  famine,  and  nakedness,  and  peril,  and  sword,  as  if 
they  were  all  blunt  weapons  when  wielded  against  faith  ;  and 
was  enabled  by  faith  to  exclaim,  ^'  Who  shall  separate  us  from 
the  love  of  God?  "^  For  as  Luther  says,  "  Faith  is  a  lively 
daring  confidence  in  the  mercy  of  God,  so  sure  that  a  man 
would  die  for  it  a  thousand  times.  And  such  confidence  in 
and  knowledge  of  the  divine  mercy  makes  him  cheerful  and 
bold  and  happy  in  his  relation  to  God  and  all  the  other 
creatures."  But  however  severe  may  be  the  struggle  with  the 
creatures,  far  worse  is  that  which  ensues  when  a  man's  own 
heart  and  conscience  begin  to  gainsay  the  divine  word.  Oh, 
how  hot  the  fire  of  tribulation  when  the  conscience  awakes  to 
a  sense  of  sin,  and  when  the  sinner  rushes  from  the  approach 
of  God  as  if  he  would  fly  through  a  hundred  worlds  !  When 
God's  Word  has  told  me  that  I  have  experienced  His  mercy 
through  Christ,  and  have  been  by  grace  made  an  heir  of  eter- 
nal glory,  and  when  my  heart  begins  to  complain  that  it  sees 
and  feels  only  the  contrary  of  all  this,  then  more  than  in  any 
other  temptation  do  I  become  rightly  conscious  how  keen  is 
the  heat  of  the  battle.  And  yet  at  last  God's  Word  through 
faith  remains  master  of  the  field,  and  to  it  the  trembling  heart 
and  conscience  must  needs  surrender ;  for  it  is  not  the  sense 
of  sight  or  taste  that  is  here  concerned — not  what  thou  seest 
with  thine  eye  or  feelest  in  thy  heart — but  solely  that  which 
stands  written  in  the  heart  of  God,  and  is  re-echoed  in  His 
Word, — viz.,  that  without  doubt  thou  art  now  by  grace,  and 
shalt  eternally  continue  to  be,  His  child.  Yes,  verily  faith  can 
do  far  greater  things  than  "  7'emove  mountains^  It  can  lull  to 
peace  the  cla^noiirs  of  conscience.  On  all  this  my  mind  is  now 
made  up  ;  and  they  who  marvel  how  so  poor  a  child  as  I  am 
yet  so  happy,  while  like  others  I  pursue  my  way  in  great  in- 
firmity and  manifold  afflictions,  must  just  be  suffered  to  marvel 
on  at  what  is  the  effect  of  faith. 

"  He  staggered  not  at  the  promise  of  God  through  unbelief ; 
1  Rom.  viii.  35. 


48.  Abraham  against  Hope  believed  in  Hope.       293 

bid  was  sti'ong  in  faith,  givifig  glory  to  God;  and  being  fidly  per- 
suaded that  what  He  had  promised,  He  was  able  also  to  pe7'fornir 
Here  it  is  written  that  he  became  strong  in  faith ;  and  a 
blessed  experience  it  is  when,  exerting  its  influence  through 
the  Holy  Spirit,  faith  enables  a  man  who  by  nature  is  shy, 
weak,  and  inconstant,  to  marshal  his  energies,  as  a  general 
does  his  troops,  beneath  the  banner  inscribed  with  Christ,  and 
only  He,  and  engages  them  to  serve  in  no  other  cause  than  His. 
His  war-cry  then  becomes:  "  I  have  but  one  passion,  and  it  is 
He."  Of  all  who  have  received  the  pardon  of  sin,  is  there  one 
who  any  longer  complains  of  being  weak  ?  No ;  for  they  have 
a  Captain  to  lead  them  on  "  who  giveth  power  to  the  faint ; 
and  to  them  who  have  no  might  increased  strength."^  And 
how  can  faith  possibly  fail  to  give  strength  ?  In  making  me 
one  with  Christ,  it  makes  that  which  is  His  to  be  also  mine, 
and  the  whole  world  subservient  to  my  will.  It  is  related  of 
a  holy  man,  and  he  one  on  whom  the  light  of  the  Gospel  had 
never  shone,  that  being  asked  the  question — 

"Tell  me  how  comes  it,  friend,  that  thee 
So  happy  all  day  long  we  see  ?  " 

He  answered — 

' '  What  else  than  happy  can  I  be  ?  for  know 
That  just  as  I  would  have  them  all  things  go  ; 
And  whether  earth  or  heaven  my  eye  surveys, 
I  nothing  see  but  what  my  will  obeys. 
For  when  God  stooped  in  love  to  be  my  Friend, 
I  in  return  my  will  to  His  resigned  ; 
But  He  forthwith  gave  back  the  boon  again. 
And  said,  '  Why  should  thy  lot  and  mine  be  twain  ?' 
So  from  that  hour  no  questions  ever  rise 
'Twixt  Him  and  me  of  what  is  mine  or  His." 

"All  is  yours,"  saith  the  apostle;  "and  ye  are  Christ's; 
and  Christ  is  God's."  ^  Yes  ;  to  him  who  through  faith  has 
become  Christ's,  and  through  Christ  God's,  there  is  nothing  in 
heaven  or  earth  but  must  minister  for  good.  Believers  are  the 
true  freemen ;  and  if  power  be  always  the  accompaniment  of 
1  Isa.  xl.  29.  -  I  Cor.  iii,  23. 


294      48.  Abraham  against  Hope  believed  in  Hope. 

liberty,  how  can  it  fail  to  belong  to  those  whom  Christ  has 
made  free  ?  Thus  it  was  that  Abraham  was  made  strong  by 
his  faith.  He  stood  childless  beside  his  wife  when  he  comited 
the  stars  in  the  heaven,  and  the  word  of  God  said  to  him,  "  So 
shall  thy  seed  be."  ^  But  so  strong  did  he  become  by  faith, 
that  even  then  he  beheld  around  him  in  thousands  and  mil- 
lions the  seed  of  his  spiritual  offspring  who  through  him  were 
to  receive  the  blessing. 

And  in  that  he  believed,  the  patriarch  gave  God  the  glojy. 
What  greater  glory  can  man  give  to  himself  t\\2in  what  he  gives 
by  believing  ?  Is  not  faith  the  hand  which  he  stretches  out, 
and  in  which  God  places  all  celestial  things  ?  It  is  the  rain- 
bow which  connects  heaven  with  earth — the  Jacob's  ladder  on 
which  the  angels  ascend  and  descend.  We  repeat,  how  can  a 
man  give  greater  glory  to  himself  than  by  believhig  ?  or  how 
can  he  lower  himself  more  deeply  than  when  he  contemns 
faith,  and  thereby  makes  himself  nothing  but  a  poor  worm  of 
the  dust  ?  Moreover,  on  the  other  hand,  how  great  the  honour 
which  he  gives  to  God  by  his  faith  !  If  it  be  by  the  confi- 
dence we  repose  in  them  that  we  honour  7?ie?i,  far  more  must 
we  honour  God  when  we  accredit  him  with  the  ability  to  do 
things  so  much  greater  than  our  blind  reason  ever  imagined. 
No  true  love  can  coexist  with  distrust ;  so  that  there  can  be 
no  love  at  all  without  faith  :  and  if  distrust  be  the  symptom 
of  a  heart  unreconciled,  so  likewise  is  faith  the  bond  and 
cement  which  reconciles  God  and  man,  and  knits  them  to 
each  other.  For  this  reason  no  anthem  sounds  so  beautiful  in 
the  ear  of  God,  and  no  incense  sheds  so  sweet  a  fragrance 
before  His  throne,  as  faith  when  it  is  the  oblation  made  from 
a  childlike  heart. 

"  Ajid  therefore  it  was  imputed  to  him  for  righteousness. '' 
Can  any  one  still  wonder  that  God  was  pleased  above  measure 
with  such  a  faith  as  Abraham's  ?  Is  not  faith  a  work  more  ex- 
cellent than  every  other?  Were  it  not  to  be  too  bold,  one 
might  say,  in  the  language  of  the  old  teachers  of  piety,  that 

1  Gen,  XV.  5. 


49-   The  Faith  availeth  which  worketh  by  Love.       295 

by  it  a  man  is  thoroughly  deified.  For  as  water  when  heated 
by  fire  is  no  longer  mere  water,  but  water  and  fire  combined, 
so  is  it  with  the  soul  of  man  when  by  faith  it  accepts  and 
appropriates  all  that  belongs  to  the  diving  Being.  For  this 
reason  St  Paul  says, ''  It  is  no  more  I  that  live,  but  Christ  that 
liveth  in  me."  In  this  way  it  is  that  the  believer  grows  up  into 
heaven.  Though  he  still  sojourns  here  on  earth,  his  life  is 
hidden  with  Christ  in  God  ;  for  such  is  the  language  in  which 
the  apostle  describes  the  mystery  of  the  marriage  of  the  soul 
with  God  through  faith. 

My  Lord  and  my  God,  how  high  the  honour  Thou  hast 
conferred  upon  me  in  making  me,  by  faith,  a  partaker  of  all 
Thy  good  things,  and  enabling  me  to  live  with  Thee  in  heaven, 
even  v^hile  sojourning  here  on  earth  !  Never  more  will  I 
despise  that  precious  boon ;  but  as  Thou  hast  judged  me 
worthy  of  it,  I,  on  my  part,  will  honour  Thee,  and  present  to 
Thee  the  oblation  of  that  incense  which  Thou  lovest  best,  and 
which  is  a  strong  faith  out  of  a  childlike  heart.  This  will  I 
do  a:  all  times  :  in  the  morning  when  I  rise,  and  in  the  even- 
ing when  I  lay  me  down  j  in  the  night  of  temptation,  and 
likewise  also,  if  it  must  be,  in  the  bitter  conflict  of  death.  So 
help  me  by  Thy  grace  to  do.     Amen. 


49. 

Of  faith  you  have  a  low  esteem 

As  of  some  poor  and  hapless  wight. 
Not  such  true  faith  ;  but  ifyozi  deem 

Your  own  is  such,  no  doubt  you're  right. 

Gal.  v.  6.  "  In  Jesus  Christ  neither  circumcision  availeth 
anything,  nor  uncircumcision ;  but  faith  which  worketh 
by  love." 


296      49-   ^-^^^  Faith  availeth  which  worketh  by  Love. 

HOW  could  the  question,  Whether  faith  be  a  motive  power, 
have  ever  been  made  a  subject  of  controversy  ?  For 
many  a  year  every  day  and  every  hour  has  strengthened  my 
conviction  that  what  a  man  beUeves,  and  what  he  does  not 
believe,  is  either  the  lever  or  the  bar  to  all  that  he  does.  If  I 
believe  what  by  his  pale  cheek,  as  well  as  by  word  of  mouth, 
the  messenger  announces — that  sentence  of  death  has  been 
pronounced  against  me,  and  that  to-morrow's  dawn  will  shine 
upon  my  scaffold ;  if  I  believe  the  intelligent  architect  when 
he  assures  me  that  the  beams  which  support  the  roof  of  my 
chamber  must,  in  a  few  hours,  give  way  ;  if  I  believe\\iQ  smooth 
tongue  which  whispers  that  my  friend  is  a  villain,  and  that  my 
wife  has  been  unfaithful, — is  it  possible  that  these  things  should 
not  prove  to  me  a  spur  and  goad  ?  Were  faith,  indeed,  a  mere 
imagination,  and  did  it  signify  nothing  but  the  presentation  to 
the  mind's  eye  of  so  many  possibilities  and  shadowy  images 
of  beauty,  it  might  be  otherwise.  For  if  it  be  only  his  drunken 
fancy  that  paints  to  a  man  a  blazing  fire  or  a  sultry  sun,  it  may 
easily  happen  that  his  teeth  will  still  chatter  with  cold.  But 
faith  is  no  such  baseless  picture  drawn  by  the  imagination.  It 
is  a  piece  of  myself,  and  what  we  believe  penetrates  through 
secret  and  unexplored  passages  into  the  deepest  recesses  of 
our  being.  It  cannot  therefore  be  otherwise,  than  that  a  man^s 
life  is  the  reflex  of  his  faith.  If  thou  believest  nothing  to  be 
real  but  the  fleeting  and  transitory  fabric  compacted  together 
of  the  four  elements,  then  of  these  elements  thy  life  is  nothing 
but  the  shadow.  If,  however,  thou  believest  in  the  breath  of 
another  world,  which  has  here  below  wrapped  itself  in  inert 
matter  as  in  a  robe,  then  will  that  breath  become  the  soul  of 
thy  life. 

Yes,  I  can  with  truth  proclaim  aloud  to  the  world  that  faith 
in  the  Gospel  is  a  motive  power,  and  that  in  him  by  whom  it 
is  possessed  it  generates  an  active  love.  Yes,  O  Love  eternal, 
to  Thy  praise  I  can  testify,  that  when  the  Gospel  is  regularly 
transfused  by  faith  into  a  human  heart,  it  acts  like  food,  which, 
if  rightly  chewed,  unites  with  the  flesh  and  blood,  and  from 


49-   The  Faith  availeth  which  worketh  by  Love.      297 

day  to  day  recruits  the  body.  It  is  a  fire  which  quickens  the 
pulse,  originates  new  desires,  and  renovates  the  whole  man. 
Whether  others  of  the  race  possess  hearts  like  mine,  I  cannot 
tell ;  but  this  I  know,  that  when  I  used  to  probe  my  heart  to 
the  bottom,  I  found  it  so  satisfied  and  enamoured  of  itself  that 
it  was  not  easy  for  me  to  love  my  neighbour  for  any  other 
reason  than  because,  and  in  as  far  as,  he  contributed  to  the 
increase  or  enrichment  of  my  personal  welfare ;  and  provided 
I  was  myself  contented,  I  would  have  allowed  all  others  to  go 
their  own  way,  whether  it  were  good  or  bad.  Even  then  I 
still  imagined  that  I  was  loving  my  neighbours,  whereas,  in  all 
of  them,  I  was  only  loving  myself.  But  thou,  O  holy  Love, 
hast  instructed  me  in  the  art  of  loving,  in  that  Thou  didst  not 
look  upon  Thine  own  things,  but  although  Thou  wert  rich, 
didst  for  our  sakes  become  poor,  that  we  through  Thy  poverty 
might  be  rich.^  Such  is  the  love  which  is  taught  by  faith  ;  and 
ever  since  I  learned  it,  O  crucified  Saviour,  on  no  day  dost 
Thou  ever  pass  me  by  without,  like  a  good  husbandman,  sow- 
ing a  few  more  seeds  of  affection  in  my  selfish  heart. 

Any  other  love  to  be  found  elsewhere  in  life  is,  for  the  most 
part,  and  to  speak  correctly,  of  a  sickly  sort.  Only  that  which 
we  learn  in  the  school  of  Christ  can  be  characterised  as  healthy. 
And  the  reason  is,  first  of  all,  that  in  loving  it  can  actually 
forget  itself.  Of  a  truth  it  is  no  vulgar  merit,  but  lofty  praise, 
which  the  Lord  ascribes  to  that  kind  of  almsgiving  in  which 
the  left  hand  does  not  know  what  the  right  hand  doeth,  and 
whose  only  witness  is  the  eye  which  seeth  in  secret.  There  may 
not  be  many  among  us  who  are  so  fond  of  themselves  as  to 
hang  out  their  good  deeds,  like  gold-embroidered  brocades, 
at  every  window,  in  order  to  earn,  as  their  selling  price,  the 
applause  of  the  multitude.  But  are  there  many  who  do  not 
desire  to  have  at  least  one  spectator  of  the  good  they  do,  and 
that  one  himself  1  Where  are  to  be  found  those  noble  souls 
who,  in  the  sphere  they  occupy,  act  like  the  sun,  which  every 
morning  ascends  the  heavens  and  scatters  its  gold  on  the  right 

1  2  Cor.  viii.  9. 


298      49-   ^-^^^  Faith  availeth  zvhich  zvorketh  by  Love. 

hand  and  on  the  left,  on  the  heights  and  in  the  valleys,  and 
\  are  unconscious  of  what  they  do — those  noble  souls  who,  im- 
pelled by  an  inward  exigence,  here  renovate  and  there  adorn, 
and  heal  and  bless  wherever  they  appear,  like  light  which  can 
do  nothing  else  than  shine  ?  In  none  but  one  has  the  pattern 
of  a  love  so  lofty  and  so  perfectly  pure  appeared,  and  it  is 
only  faith  in  Him  which  can  inspire  the  love  which  is  wholly 
forgetful  of  itself. 

The  soul  by  faith  impelled  with  all  her  might 

Plies  her  allotted  task  from  morn  till  night ; 

But  when  at  length  the  fabric  which  she  rears, 

Complete  in  its  full  loveliness  appears, 

Of  all  spectators  she  is  just  the  one 

Who  least  can  tell  us  how  the  work  was  done. 

No  doubt  there  is  a  natural  love,  which  also  does  its  work 
in  blessed  self-  oblivion ;  such,  for  instance,  is  that  of  the 
mother  for  her  babe.  A  mother's  love  is  capable  of  forgetting 
itself  in  the  being  upon  which  it  is  lavished.  It  is  not,  how- 
ever, for  that  reason  pure ;  for  just  because  it  is  the  offspring 
of  nature,  it  can  go  so  far  as  to  forget  God  as  well  as  self  in 
its  object,  and  make  of  that  an  idol.  In  condemnation  of  this 
Luther  says,  that  "  in  divine  things  a  father  ought  to  forget 
that  his  child  is  his  own  flesh  and  blood."  The  love,  however, 
which  is  the  offspring  of  faith  is  also  wise.  It  loves,  and  seeks 
to  love  the  creature  in  the  way  in  which  the  creature  is  loved 
by  God ;  and  accordingly,  what  it  loves  in  man  is  not  merely 
the  part  which  blossoms  to-day  and  is  swept  away  by  the  storm 
of  time  to  -  morrow,  —  it  loves  what  eternity  is  powerless  to 
destroy — the  inward  jewel,  the  royal  imprint  which  God  has 
stamped  upon  the  human  soul  in  making  it  after  His  own  like- 
ness. Moreover,  love,  which  springs  from  faith,  returns  to 
faith  again.  It  knows  for  itself  no  higher  good,  and  knows 
likewise  of  no  better  boon  to  bestow  on  others  than  itself.  No 
doubt  there  are  tender  souls  who  would  wihingly  be  helpful  to 
their  fellow-men,  and  who  look  around  on  every  side  for  any 
good  they  can  do  to  them :  and  other  souls  there  are  also 


49-   The  Faith  availetJi  ivJiicJi  worketJi  by  Love.      299 

whose  eyes  glisten  with  tears  of  sympathy  the  moment  they 
see  the  eyes  of  others  bedewed  with  the  tears  of  suffering,  and 
who,  just  as  we  instinctively  stretch  forth  a  hand  to  arrest  a 
fallijig  body,  extend  theirs  to  help  a  brother  whom  they  see 
bending  beneath  his  burdens.  Would  only  that  such  tender 
souls  knew  what  is  the  heaviest  of  all  the  burdens  which  men 
have  to  bear — that  burden  from  which  relief  would  make  every 
other  light  as  an  air-ball,  and  which  consists  in  the  misery  of  a 
heart  destitute  of  faith  !  The  labour  and  the  pains  which  they 
take  to  set  again  upon  his  feet  the  unfortunate  who  has  broken 
down  are  thrown  away ;  just  as  if  one  were  to  spend  a  world 
of  toil  and  trouble  in  reefing  the  sails  and  stopping  the  leaks 
of  a  vessel  labouring  in  a  storm,  but  without  observing  that  it 
had  lost  the  hehn.     Here  also  we  may  say  : — 

Let  the  breeze  blow  fair, 

Swell  all  the  sails,  and  in  the  air 

The  streamers  gaily  float.     'Tis  all  in  vain  ! 

Unless  the  rudder  it  regain, 

The  bark  will  founder. 

Yes, — to  the  human  som\  faith  is  what  the  helm  is  to  the  ship ; 
and  so  long  as  the  effort  to  implant  it  in  the  heart  is  unsuc- 
cessful, there  can  be  no  radical  cure  for  suffering  humanity. 
The  apostle  affirms  that  "  godliness  has  the  promise  of  the  life 
that  now  is,  and  of  that  which  is  to  come ; "  ^  and  if  so,  how 
can  there  be  a  flourishing  state  of  temporal  affairs  where  god- 
liness has  not  taught  energy  and  moderation,  chastity,  con- 
tentment, and  rectitude  ? 

The  very  first  acting  of  the  faith  which  worketh  by  love 
must  therefore  of  necessity  be  the  desire  to  implant  faith  in 
afflicted  souls.  No  doubt  here  care  must  needs  be  taken  not 
to  attempt  by  mere  preaching  to  refieve  ourselves  from  the 
much  more  difficult  duty  of  practical  and  self-denying  charity. 
There  are  pious  cheats  who  are  fonder  of  opening  their  mouths 
for  religious  talk  than  their  hands  for  charitable  gifts,  and  who 
would  much  rather  minister  to  a  patient  on  a  sick-bed  some 

1  I  Tim.  iv.  8. 


300      49-    T^^^^  Faith  availeth  which  worketh  by  Love. 

sentences  of  prayer  than   some  nights   of  watching;  and  if, 
perchance,  a  neighbour  have  broken  his  leg,  would  rather  sing 
to  him  a  psalm  than  send  for  a  surgeon  and  pay  his  fee.     We 
no  doubt  often  forget,  also,  that  there  is  a  way  of  preaching 
without  words,  of  which  St  Peter  speaks  when  he  says,  that 
"  if  any  obey  not  the  word,  they  also  may  without  the  woi^d  be 
won  by  the  conversation  of  the  wife."  ^     The  testimony  which 
we  bear  to  Christ  in  the  circle  of  relatives  and  acquaintances 
ought  properly  never  to  be  anything  else  than  an  explaiiatiofi 
of  the  reasons  of  our  conduct  in  cases  where  that  is  desired. 
Oh  how  greatly  do  they  err  who  imagine  that  by  constantly- 
repeated  exhortations  they  can  awaken  faith  in  those  who  are 
destitute  of  it !     Without  the  right  hammer,  you  will  strike 
no  sound  from  the  bell,  and  loud  crying  will  not  answer  the 
purpose.     Unquestionably,  however,  the  right  hammer  is  the 
testimony  of  the  Spirit  of  God  in  our  own  walk  and  conver- 
sation,   consisting    in    incorruptible    rectitude,   unpretending 
modesty,  cheerful  and  willing  self-denial,  and  continual  readi- 
ness to  minister  to  others.     That  was  the  way  in  which  our 
Lord  Himself  preached ;  and,  O  pattern  of  all  love,  that  is  the 
example  Thou  hast  left  to  show  us  how  to  preach  Thy  Gospel. 
Never  did  Thy  hand  minister  the  manna  of  heaven  but  when 
Thy  love  was  at  the  same  time  wiping  away  the  tears  of  earth. 
We  do  not  often  figure  to  ourselves,  in  the  light  in  which  the 
evangelists  show  it,  how  great  was  the  self-denying  love  exercised 
by  our  Lord  in  His  daily  walk,  and  how  continually  He  was 
encompassed  by  crowds  who,  side  by  side  with  their  spiritual 
misery,  exposed  to  view  every  sort  and  shape  of  bodily  wretch- 
edness.    Around  Him  congregated  the  blind,  the  lame,  the 
epileptic,  the  possessed,  the  victims  of  paralysis  and  leprosy. 
Often  they  so  overpowered  Him,  that  for  the  livelong  day  He 
could  find  no  time  to  take  food ;  ^  often  they  thronged  around 
Him  in  such  multitudes  upon  the  land,  that  He  was  compelled 
to  enter  into  a  ship.^     Wherever  He  came,  the  sick  from  all  the 
surrounding  districts  were  brought  upon  beds  and  laid  on  the 

1  I  Pet.  iii.  I.  2  Mark,  iii.  20.  3  Mark,  iv,  i. 


49-    TJie  Faith  availeth  whicJi  worketh  by  Love.      301 

streets  for  Him  to  heal.^  And  as  He  loved  far  more  intensely 
than  any  of  us,  how  must  the  spiritual  misery  also  of  these 
multitudes  have  gone  to  His  heart  ?  We  read  upon  one  occa- 
sion that  "  He  came  out  and  saw  much  people,  and  was  moved 
with  compassion  towards  them,  because  they  were  as  sheep 
not  having  a  shepherd ; "  ^  and  upon  another,  that  He  cried 
out,  "  O  faithless  generation,  how  long  shall  I  bear  with  you  ? 
how  long  shall  I  suffer  you  ?  "  ^  Seldom,  as  I  think,  does  it 
happen  to  one  of  us  to  shed  tears  on  account  of  the  sins  of  the 
world ;  and  yet  Jesus  the  Son  of  God  wept,  and  wept  for  His 
people's  sins."^  Nay,  even  over  the  common  thorns  of  misery 
which  beset  the  life  of  man  on  earth  He  shed  tears,  as  He  did 
at  the  grave  of  Lazarus ;  for  on  that  occasion,  when  He  saw 
the  rest  weeping,  He  too  was  troubled  and  wept.^ 

It  was  thus  that  Jesus  preached  by  works,  and  it  is  to  such 
preaching  by  charitable  deeds  that  we  are  everywhere  exhorted 
in  the  holy  Scriptures.  True  it  is  that  Christian  charity  is  most 
deeply  affected  by  the  spiritual  misery  of  our  fellow-men,  be- 
cause that  is  the  source  from  which  all  other  kinds  of  misery 
flow,  or  at  least  by  which  they  are  aggravated.  When  not 
permitted,  however,  to  stop  the  spring,  it  seeks  at  least  to 
drain  off  and  dry  up  the  stream ;  and  great  is  the  worth  attri- 
buted to  the  manifestations  of  it  towards  the  victims  of  bodily 
affliction.  In  one  place  the  Scriptures  exhort  us  "to  do  good 
and  to  communicate  forget  not  j  for  with  such  sacrifices  God 
is  well  pleased."  ^  In  another :  "  So  is  the  will  of  God,  that 
with  well-doing  ye  may  put  to  silence  the  ignorance  of  foolish 
men."  ^  And  again  :  "  Pure  religion  and  undefiled  before 
God  and  the  Father  is  this,  To  visit  the  fatherless  and  widows 
in  their  affliction,  and  to  keep  himself  unspotted  from  the 
world."  ^  Works  of  history  inform  us  that  in  the  early  days 
of  Christianity  nothing  surprised  the  heathen  so  much  as  the 
charity  shown  by  the  Christians  to  each  other.  A  father  of 
the  Church  relates  that  it  was  a  common  exclamation,  "  Sec 

1  Mark,  vi.  56.        ^  Mark,  vi.  34.         3  Mark,  ix.  ig.        4  Luke,  xix.  41, 
5  John,  xi.  33.  ^  Heb.  xiii.  16.        ^  i  Pet.  ii.  15,         8  James,  i.  27. 


302       49-  The  Faith  availeth  ivJiich  worketh  by  Love. 

how  they  love  one  another  !  "  On  the  occasion  of  a  great  public 
calamity  which  happened  during  the  third  century,  a  certain 
bishop,  Dionysius,  writes  as  follows :  "  After  a  breathing-time 
of  short  duration,  which  both  they  and  we  enjoyed,  we  were 
smitten  with  the  plague,  of  all  dreadful  things  the  most  dread- 
ful to  the  heathen,  but  which  to  us  was  a  special  trial  and  exer- 
cise of  faith.  A  vast  number  of  our  brethren,  out  of  affection 
for  their  friends  and  neighbours,  did  not  spare  themselves  in 
their  attentions  to  the  sick,  but,  unmindful  of  the  danger, 
visited  them,  perseveringly  waited  upon  and  ministered  to 
them  in  Christ,  and  at  last  were  happy  to  die  along  with  them. 
Many  lost  their  lives  in  the  room  of  those  who,  by  their  care, 
had  been  restored  to  health.  In  this  way  the  worthiest  of  the 
brethren,  some  of  them  presbyters  and  deacons,  others  ap- 
proved men  among  the  laity,  made  their  exit  from  the  world 
by  a  death  which,  as  it  proceeded  from  ardent  piety  and  strong 
faith,  seems  in  no  degree  inferior  to  martyrdom.  Some  also, 
who  after  closing  the  mouth  and  eyes  of  their  dying  brethren, 
had  carried  them  away  upon  their  shoulders,  washed  their 
bodies,  and  wrapped  them  in  their  shrouds,  themselves  experi- 
enced ere  long  the  same  fate.  Totally  different  was  the  con- 
duct of  the  heathen.  They  drove  out  the  sick  on  the  appear- 
ance of  the  first  symptom  of  infection,  abandoned  their  dearest 
friends,  cast  them,  when  half  dead,  upon  the  street,  from  appre- 
hension of  the  spread  of  the  fatal  distemper,  and  yet,  by  all 
their  endeavours,  could  not  escape  its  attacks." 

Jesus,  my  Lord  and  Master,  the  unspeakable  mercy  which 
God  has  vouchsafed  to  me  through  Thee  I  will  accept  with 
the  hand  of  faith,  and  still  accept  afresh,  that  it  may  bring 
forth  the  fruit  of  charity.  Grace  has  healed  the  wound  of  my 
sin,  and  will  in  time  wipe  away  from  my  eyes  all  the  tears  of 
temporal  affliction  and  misery.  I  will  therefore  walk  in  love, 
and  wherever  I  can  in  the  world,  will  heal  sin's  wounds  and 
dry  affliction's  tears.  Thy  holy  pattern  will  I  receive  into  my 
heart,  and  it  shall  be  my  pleasure,  as  it  was  Thine,  to  visit  the 
abodes  of  penury  and  suffering.     Only  make  me  wholly  Thine 


49-  The  Faith  availeth  zvhicJi  worketJi  by  Love.       303 

own,  and  then  will  charity  flow  out  from  me,  as  the  stream 
does  from  the  fountain.  Vouchsafe  to  me  the  tranquil  blessed- 
ness which  flows  from  a  sense  of  the  mercy  Thou  hast  won  for 
me ;  for  this  opens  the  heart,  and  imparts  to  it  sympathy  with 
all  human  woe.  A  heart  which  grace  has  softened  can  never 
remain  unaffected  at  the  sight  of  a  brother's  tears.  Oh  that 
I  were  but  a  branch  of  that  vine  of  which  Thou  art  the  stock  ! 
for  then,  weak  although  I  be,  I  likewise  would  bring  forth  the 
same  fruits  as  Thou  didst  bear.  Oh  that  I  could  dismiss  all 
other  masters,  and  look  continually  to  Thee  with  an  eye  ever 
less  and  less  turned  away !  Thou,  and  Thou  alone,  art  my 
master.  Oh  grant  me  to  avert  my  view  still  more  and  more 
from  what  other  men  do  or  leave  undone,  and  take  what  was 
done  or  left  undone  by  Thee  for  my  sole  and  perpetual  pattern  ! 

Let  me,  while  through  Hfe  I  wander, 
Daily  the  great  question  ponder. 

If  within  me  reigns  the  Lord  ? 
Do  I  seek  from  Him  salvation? 
Shunning  every  aberration — 

Do  I  follow  at  His  word  ? 

Near  to  Jesus  am  I  living  ; 

From  Him,  as  a  branch,  receiving 

Of  His  grace  a  rich  supply  ? 
When  my  heart  with  care  is  sinking, 
From  its  burden  weakly  shrinking, 

Do  I  to  His  bosom  fly  ? 

Am  I  in  no  duty  failing  ? 
Does  no  indolence,  prevailing, 

Draw  my  heart  from  God  away  ? 
If  His  precepts  I  have  broken, 
Does  a  voice,  within  me  spoken. 

Mourn  that  I  so  often  stray  ? 

Is  the  Saviour  all  things  to  me? 
Does  earth's  turmoil  never  woo  me 

From  the  calm  felicity 
Found  in  Him  alone ;  and  ever 
Do  I  earnestly  endeavour, 

His,  and  only  His,  to  be  ? 


304  50-  Charity  is  the  best  of  the  Graces. 

50. 

Cl^arttg  ts  ti)c  I]cst  of  ti)c  (iraccs. 

Love  is  a  river,  and  God^s  heart  the  source, 

Whence  into  holy  souls  it  ever  flows, 
Nor  tarries  lofig,  but  in  an  onward  coitrse 

Is  sped  from  soul  to  soul  without  repose : 
Therefore  is  love,  both  RICH  a7id  POOR  always, 
A  SPENDTHRIFT  a7id  a  BEGGAR  all  its  days. 

I  Cor.  xiii.  "  Though  I  speak  with  the  tongues  of  men  and 
of  angels,  and  have  not  charity,  I  am  become  as  sound- 
ing brass,  or  a  tinkling  cymbal.  And  though  I  have  the 
gift  of  prophecy,  and  understand  all  mysteries,  and  all 
knowledge  ;  and  though  I  have  all  faith,  so  that  I  could 
remove  mountains,  and  have  not  charity,  I  am  nothing. 
And  though  I  bestow  all  my  goods  to  feed  the  poor,  and 
though  I  give  my  body  to  be  burned,  and  have  not  charity, 
it  profiteth  me  nothing.  Charity  suffereth  long,  and  is 
kind ;  charity  envieth  not ;  charity  vaunteth  not  itself,  is 
not  puffed  up,  doth  not  behave  itself  unseemly,  seeketh 
not  her  own,  is  not  easily  provoked,  thinketh  no  evil ; 
rejoiceth  not  in  iniquity,  but  rejoiceth  in  the  truth;  bear- 
eth  all  things,  believeth  all  things,  hopeth  all  things,  en- 
dureth  all  things.  Charity  never  faileth  :  but  whether  there 
be  prophecies,  they  shall  fail ;  whether  there  be  tongues, 
they  shall  cease;  whether  there  be  knowledge,  it  shall 
vanish  away.  For  we  know  in  part,  and  we  prophesy  in 
part.  But  when  that  which  is  perfect  is  come,  then  that 
which  is  in  part  shall  be  done  away.  When  I  was  a  child, 
I  spake  as  a  child,  I  understood  as  a  child,  I  thought  as 
a  child ;  but  when  I  became  a  man,  I  put  away  childish 
things.  For  now  we  see  through  a  glass,  darkly;  but 
then  face  to  face  :  now  I  know  in  part ;  but  then  shall 


50.  Charity  is  the  best  of  the  Graces.  305 

I  know  even  as  also  I  am  known.  And  now  abideth 
faith,  hope,  charity,  these  three  \  but  the  greatest  of  these 
is  charity." 

WHO  has  a  7nind  so  lofty,  or  faculties  so  noble,  as  to  be 
able  to  say  what  love  is  ?  If  I  call  it  dew,  I  describe 
only  its  refreshing  power  ;  if  a  star,  only  its  amenity.  If  I  call 
it  a  storm,  all  that  I  intimate  is  its  impatience  of  control ;  or 
if  a  sunbeam,  the  secrecy  of  its  action.  If  I  say  that  it  is  the 
breath  of  the  soul,  elaborated  in  its  inmost  workshop,  when 
the  spirit  from  on  high  combines  with  the  heart's  blood  of  the 
regenerate  man,  I  do  not  even  then  hit  the  mark,  for  I  have  only 
said  what  it  is  in  itself  apart,  not  what  it  is  to  others.  If  I  call 
it  the  solar  light,  giving  life  and  colour  to  the  things  on  which 
it  shines,  I  still  come  short  of  the  truth,  for  I  only  affirm  what 
it  is  to  others,  not  what  it  is  in  itself.  If  I  say  that  it  is  the 
ray  of  seven  colours  in  the  pure  water-drop  when  permeated 
by  the  sun,  not  even  then  do  I  define  the  true  nature  of  love, 
because  it  is  not  so  much  a  thing  which  can  be  seen  as  a  secret 
perfu77ie  and  taste  in  the  innermost  chamber  of  the  human  heart. 
Oh,  who  has  a  mind  so  lofty,  and  thoughts  so  deep,  as  to  be 
able  to  say  what  love  is  ? 

Scripture  speaks  of  it  as  2^  flame  of  the  Lord  ;'^  and  so  it  is 
— a  flame  tranquil  and  bright  and  pure,  which  first  thoroughly 
cleanses,  illumines,  and  warms  the  heart  into  which  it  enters, 
and  then  overflows  into  all  other  hearts,  burning  with  aU  the 
greater  strength  and  brightness  the  more:  of  such  hearts  it 
kindles  and  warms  and  illumines.  It  is  indeed  a  mystery ;  for 
what  can  be  more  mysterious  than  that  a  man  cannot  be  truly 
happy  who  tries  to  be  so  only  iii  himself,  and  can  be  truly 
happy  in  himself  only  when  he  recovers  himself  in  others — 
that  he  can  be,  and  continue  being,  as  much  at  home  in 
another  as  if  that  other  were  not  another,  and  only  fully  enjoys 
himself  when  he  has  another  self  to  do  it  with .?  Take  love 
away,  and  oh,  how  every  creature  stands  so  solitary  and  iso- 
1  Song  of  Solomon,  viii.  6 — Luther's  vers. 
U 


3o6  50.  Charity  is  the  best  of  the  Graces. 

lated  in  the  world  !  how  dumb  and  silent  they  all  are,  and  how 
dull  the  sound  which  comes  down  from  heaven  to  earth,  and 
echoes  through  the  whole  creation  !  As  it  is  only  love  which 
causes  the  inward  flux  and  motion  of  the  creatures  towards 
each  other,  so  is  love  also  a  lively  and  expressive  tone  in  each 
one  of  them ;  and  were  all  the  beings  whom  God  has  created 
to  respond  to  each  other  in  such  a  tone  of  love,  who  could 
describe  the  charming  harmonies  ? 

Truly,  then,  does  the  apostle,  in  the  lofty  hymn  which  he 
here  indites  to  Charity,  affirm  that  though  a  person  were  to 
possess  all  knowledge  and  all  faith,  yet  if  destitute  of  love  he 
would  become  as  brass,  which  emits  only  a  hollow  bray,  or  at 
the  best  as  a  tinkling  cymbal,  which  no  doubt  gives  forth  a 
sound,  but  a  sound  in  which  there  is  no  soul.  For  supposing 
it  possible  for  a  man  to  be  destitute  of  charity,  and  yet,  as  the 
apostle  says,  to  possess  the  gift  of  prophecy,  and  to  understand 
all  mysteries,  and  to  have  a  faith  capable  of  removing  moun- 
tains, and  to  bestow  all  his  goods  to  feed  the  poor,  still  such 
admirable  virtue  would  but  resemble  a  beautiful  countenance 
bespread  with  the  paleness  of  death,  but  from  which  the  spirit 
had  departed. 

Inasmuch,  then,  as  it  is  love  which  conjoins  man  with  God 
and  God  with  man,  through  an  inward  and  blissful  motion  of 
the  heart,  it  cannot  be  but  that  the  person  who  has  thus  be- 
come conjoint  with  the  divine  Being  will  henceforth  make  God 
his  only  object  of  desire.  And  inasmuch  as  God,  being,  as  He 
is,  love,  and  desiring  also  on  His  part  to  have  an  abode  in 
other  beings,  has  opened  His  heart  to  all  His  creatures,  and 
allows  the  goodness  and  beauty  which  He  Himself  possesses 
to  flow  out  upon  them  in  such  measure  as  their  capacities 
enable  them  to  receive,  so  likewise  does  the  heart  of  him  who 
has  experienced  the  love  of  God  stand  ever  open  with  thoughts 
of  loving-kindness  towards  his  fellow-creatures,  and  allow  all  that 
has  flowed  in  from  God  upon  himself  to  flow  out  upon  them, 
f  As  the  solar  ray  in  a  clear  and  silvery  drop  of  water  is  refracted 
I  into  seven  colours,  so  is  it  with  love  in  a  pure  heart.     It,  too. 


50.  CJiarity  is  the  best  of  the  Graces.  307 

is  split  into  many  more  than  seven  kinds  of  virtue.  Rather 
might  it  be  affirmed  that  all  virtues  proceed  from  it  alone, 
according  to  the  saying  of  Luther,  that  "  the  commandment 
to  love  is  a  short  and  a  long  one,  a  singular  and  a  plural  one, 
no  commandment  at  all,  and  yet  the  sum  of  all  command- 
ments." It  annuls  and  yet  establishes  the  whole  of  them,  and 
hence  the  apostle  says  that  "  love  is  the  fulfilling  of  the  law."  ^ 

And  so  here  the  apostle,  in  quite  an  inimitable  style,  paints 
to  us  a  grand  and  richly-coloured  picture,  showing  how  Chris 
tian  charity  develops  itself  in  a  pure  and  pious  heart.  "  // 
supers  long  and  is  kind^'  he  says,  inasmuch  as  it  causes  some 
measure  of  the  long-suffering  and  loving-kindness  which  itself 
has  experienced  from  God  to  flow  out  upon  all  sinners;  and  hence 
goes  forth  even  among  those  who  are  strangers  to  Him,  not 
with  the  stern  zeal  of  the  preacher  in  the  wilderness,  announc- 
ing that  the  axe  has  been  already  laid  to  the  root  of  the  trees, 
but  with  the  gentle  earnestness  of  the  Saviour  seeking  that 
which  is  lost. 

Charity  envieth  not,  just  as  the  God  of  mercy  has  not  envied 
us,  but  day  by  day  offers  Himself  to  us,  with  all  the  wealth 
and  blessedness  which  He  enjoys.  Even  in  cases  where  she 
might  perhaps  imagine  that  His  gifts  are  too  lavishly  squan- 
dered upon  those  who  do  not  so  much  as  thank  Him  for  them, 
she  does  not  envy,  but  is  content  to  think  that  a  day  will  come 
when  their  eyes  will  be  opened. 

Charity  vaunteth  not  itself  is  not  puffed  up.  The  God  of 
mercy  might  well  have  dealt  proudly  with  miserable  creatures 
Hke  us,  but  He  rather  chose  to  sojourn  amongst  us  in  the 
humble  guise  of  a  servant,  and  in  this  deep  abasement  conde- 
scended to  the  meanest  and  most  wretched ;  and  hence,  how- 
ever high  the  gifts  she  has  received,  Christian  charity  is  at  all 
times  glad  to  stoop  to  persons  of  however  low  degree. 

Nor  doth  it  behave  itself  unseemly,  which  means  that  it  never 
forgets  what  is  due  to  others.  Rather  would  it  impart  to  them 
any  good  thing  of  its  own  than  fail  to  recognise  the  gifts  that 

1  Rom.  xiii.  lo. 


3o8  50.  Charity  is  the  best  of  the  Graces. 

they  themselves  have  received.  Hence  it  is  also  genuine 
courtesy,  and  teaches  that  propriety  which  is  ever  mindful  of 
the  respect  justly  claimed  by  the  rank,  the  talents,  and  the 
virtues  of  a  neighbour. 

She  seeketh  not  her  own,  just  as  her  God  and  Master  sought 
not  His  own  when  He  came  into  this  poor  world ;  and  she 
bears  inscribed  as  a  motto  upon  all  she  does :  "  It  is  more 
blessed  to  give  than  to  receive."  ^ 

Charity  is  not  easily  provoked,  and  thinketh  no  evil.  Even 
though  all  her  sweets  be  recompensed  with  bitters,  never  is 
she  herself  embittered,  and  if  she  bears  any  grudge  at  all,  it  is 
not  at  the  sinner  but  at  the  sin.  His  sin,  were  it  possible,  she 
would  mortify,  but  not  himself  Rather  would  it  give  her 
heartfelt  pleasure  to  see  her  worst  enemies  receive  crowns  and 
sceptres,  honours  and  estates,  and  anything  else,  if  by  such 
tokens  of  the  divine  long-suffering,  their  hearts  could  be  in- 
clined towards  that  which  is  good. 

Charity  rejoiceth  not  in  iniquity,  but  rejoiceth  in  the  truth.  Her- 
self richly  filled  with  the  light  shed  down  from  above,  and  in 
which  all  equity  and  truth  among  men  have  their  source,  fain 
would  she  diffuse  in  every  quarter  the  measure  of  it  which  she 
herself  has  received,  and  experiences  a  childlike  joy  wherever 
she  finds  a  trace  of  it,  just  as  the  Lord  Jesus  rejoiced  at  the 
faith  of  the  Canaanitish  woman  and  of  the  centurion  of  Caper- 
naum. So  thoroughly,  too,  is  her  eye  illumined  with  the  light, 
that  she  not  only  knows  right  well  how  to  separate  the  dark- 
ness from  it,  but  even  discovers  in  the  darkness  here  and  there 
a  ray  which  a  dimmer  eye  would  never  have  perceived. 

Charity  beareth  all  things,  believeth  all  things,  hopeth  all  things, 
endureth  all  things.  This  means,  that  as  it  is  her  desire  to  be- 
stow upon  a  neighbour  only  what  is  truly  good,  so  likewise  has 
she  the  power  and  ability  to  do  these  things  wherever  it  appears 
needful  and  wholesome.  In  short,  charity  makes  the  lover  and 
the  loved  to  be  one  person,  and  how  then  can  it  fail  to  be  the 
fulfilment  of  that  law  which  enjoins,  "All  things  whatsoever  ye 
1  Acts,  XX.  35. 


50.  Charity  is  the  best  of  the  Graces.  309 

would  that  men  should  do  unto  you,  do  ye  even  so  to  them"?i 
Just  as  there  is  no  husband,  at  least  in  the  marriages  upon 
which  God  has  pronounced  His  blessing,  who  does  not  con- 
sider as  done  to  himself  whatever  he  does  to  his  wife,  she  being 
flesh  of  his  flesh  and  bone  of  his  bone  ;  so  likewise  does  the 
man  who  has  been  fully  imbued  with  the  love  of  God  behold 
in  all  that  is  human  his  own  flesh  and  bone,  and  labours  and 
provides  for  it  as  if  he  did  all  for  himself. 

The  apostle  tells  us  respecting  faith,  hope,  and  charity,  that 
of  the  three,  charity  is  the  greatest ;  and  assigns  as  the  reason, 
that  it  will  still  abide  on  the  other  side  of  the  bourne  at  which 
faith  and  hope  depart.  The  secrets  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven 
are  now  beheld  by  us  only  as  if  in  the  dim  reflection  of  a  dark 
mirror.  We  know  them  only  in  part,  and  it  is  solely  by  faith 
that  we  become  assured  of  them.  But  the  holy  apostle  pro- 
mises that  a  day  is  coming  when  we  shall  know  God  face  to 
face,  as  we  are  known  of  Him,  and  shall  know  at  the  same 
time  the  origin  and  nature  of  all  things,  and  so  there  must  then 
be  an  end  of  faith.  On  the  other  hand,  the  holy  Scriptures 
apply  the  name  of  hope  to  faith  when  it  points  to  the  things  of 
the  future,  and  especially  to  what  we  ourselves  shall  then  be ; 
and  consequently,  when  all  becomes  present,  and  time  itself 
dissolves  into  eternity,  hope  too  shall  expire.  Charity,  how- 
ever, being  the  door  through  which  God  here  influences  the 
human  heart,  and  by  which  man  enters  into  union  with  the 
Author  of  his  being  and  with  all  created  things,  never  per- 
isheth.  For  though  in  this  poor  sphere  of  time  that  door  was 
but  as  a  little  wicket,  and  did  not  even  stand  always  open,  but 
was  too  often  closed  by  gusts  of  wind,  in  eternity  the  little 
wicket  shall  become  a  mighty  portal,  whose  folds  shall  stand 
ajar  night  and  day,  never  more  to  be  closed  by  any  gust  of 
wind,  and  through  which  the  soul  shall  have  free  entrance  into 
the  heart  of  her  God  and  of  the  whole  creation.  Oh,  if,  even 
in  this  life,  love,  although  it  is  but  a  little  brook  beneath  the 
sultry  rays  of  the  sun,  often  threatening  almost  to  run  dry, 
1  Matt,  vii.  12. 


310  50.  Charity  is  the  best  of  the  Graces, 

makes  us  so  rich,  how  rich  will  it  make  us  when  the  brook 
shall  have  become  a  river — nay,  even  an  ocean — and  when  in 
full  flood  it  shall  flow  down  from  the  heart  of  God,  and  no 
more  find  in  the  heart  of  a  single  creature  a  sin  to  obstruct  it, 
and  when  a  free  and  blessed  interchange  of  gifts  shall  be 
established  between  heaven  and  earth,  and  all  that  are  in 
them  ?  Oh,  who  possesses  such  powers  of  thought  as  to  he  able 
to  tell  us  what  love  is  ? 


The  frame  of  nature  in  fresh  beauty  stood — 
Hill,  valley,  man  and  beast,  and  stream  and  wood  ; 
Here  the  great  ocean  rolled  its  billows  hoary ; 
There  reared  the  azure  sky  its  vault  of  glory  ; 
Sun,  moon,  and  stars  their  radiant  course  pursued 
Alone,  for  none  the  other  understood. 

A  single  tone  was  to  each  creature  given 

To  laud  the  great  Creator,  Lord  of  heaven. 

Lit  was  one  little  flame,  to  be  a  sign 

That  all  His  works  should  prove  for  prayer  a  shrine  ; 

But  to  each  other  strange  were  flame  and  tone — 

They  shone,  they  sang,  each  for  itself  alone. 

Oh  yes,  the  earth  adorned  by  God  was  fair, 
But  one  thing  lacked — alas  !  no  joy  was  there. 
Feeble' and  dim  the  Httle  flames  ascend  ; 
Sad  are  the  tones,  and  soon  in  silence  end. 
The  children's  hearts  all  for  the  Father  yearn, 
Yet  none  a  brother  in  the  throng  discern. 

The  myriad  tones  arise  to  heaven  on  high, 
Yet  here  on  earth  is  heard  no  harmony ; 
With  incense  fires  a  thousand  altars  blaze, 
And  yet  no  Church's  hymns  the  Maker  praise  : — 
Yes,  earth  by  God  adorned  indeed  was  fair, 
But  one  thing  lacked — alas  ! — no  joy  was  there. 

At  last  came  love,  andyi^y,  her  sister,  with  her. 

And  in  sweet  concord  blend  the  tones  together. 

To  form  communities  the  creatures  join ; 

In  one  vast  Church  the  altars  all  combine. 

Broke  was  the  spell  that  once  the  children  bound, 

When  in  the  Father's  heart  their  common  home  they  found. 


5 1.  Your  Body  is  the  Temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost.       311 

51. 

gflur  130ti2  is  tje  ^Temple  of  t^e  l^olg  ®6ost. 

7*2/^  Jc/(/  myself  to  Him, 

Soul,  body,  eve>y  limb  ; 

Nor  ask  I  from  that  hour 

Either  what's  sweet  or  sour. 

I  only  ask.  What  wilt  Thou,  Lord  ? 

And  instantly,  with  one  accord. 

My  members  all  fulfil  His  word.  « 

I  John,  ii.  16.  ''  For  all  that  is  in  the  world,  the  lust  of  the 
flesh,  and  the  lust  of  the  eyes,  and  the  pride  of  life,  is 
not  of  the  Father,  but  is  of  the  world." 

Matt.  v.  28.  "I  say  unto  you.  That  whosoever  looketh  on 
a  woman  to  lust  after  her  hath  committed  adultery  with 
her  already  in  his  heart." 

Eph.  v.  3-5.  "But  fornication,  and  all  uncleanness,  or  covet- 
ousness,  let  it  not  be  once  named  among  you,  as  becometh 
saints ;  neither  filthiness,  nor  foolish  talking,  nor  jesting, 
which  are  not  convenient :  but  rather  giving  of  thanks. 
For  this  ye  know,  that  no  whoremonger,  nor  unclean  per- 
son, nor  covetous  man,  who  is  an  idolater,  hath  any  in- 
heritance in  the  kingdom  of  Christ  and  of  God." 

I  Cor.  vi.  18-20.  "  Flee  fornication.  Every  sin  that  a  man 
doeth  is  without  the  body  ;  but  he  that  committeth  forni- 
cation sinneth  against  his  own  body.  What !  know  ye  not 
that  your  body  is  the  temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost  which  is 
in  you,  which  ye  have  of  God,  and  ye  are  not  your  own  ? 
For  ye  are  bought  with  a  price  :  therefore  glorify  God  in 
your  body,  and  in  your  spirit,  which  are  God's." 

WHAT  a  serious  sermon  against  all  defilement  of  the 
flesh  resounds  from  sacred  Scripture  !     How  it  digni- 
fies man  by  teaching  him  to  look  upon  his  body  as  a  temple  of 


312       51-  yo2tr  Body  is  the  Temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

God,  a  habitation  of  the  Holy  Spirit ;  and  even  because  so 
great  a  monarch  is  enthroned  in  it,  to  keep  holy  the  outward 
fabric  !  To  Christianity  is  due  the  first  effectual  introduction 
into  human  life  of  the  noble  virtues  of  chastity  in  deed  and 
word,  temperance  and  modesty. 

The  Gospel  has  not  extirpated  the  instinct  of  nature,  but 
has  consecrated  it,  as  it  does  all  that  is  natural.  The  Almighty 
Maker  of  heaven  and  earth  Himself  brought  his  wife  to  Adam, 
and  declared  that  "  they  twain  were  to  be  one  flesh ; "  ^  and 
thus,  as  Luther  says,  *'  the  conjugal  instinct  has  beeit  e7iclosed 
in  a  divine  woi^d,  as  in  a  holy  monstranz  ; "  and  that  divine 
word,  which  the  Jews  had  wellnigh  forgotten,  was  by  Jesus 
Christ  brought  again  to  light  and  inserted  in  His  Gospel.^ 
The  Gospel  has  converted  marriage  and  the  propagation  of 
the  race  into  a  priestly  function.  It  is  in  the  Lord  that  mar- 
riages are  contracted,  in  the  Lord  that  husband  and  wife  love 
each  other, /^r  the  Lord  and  His  kingdom  that  they  study  to 
edify  and  improve  one  another,  and  to  the  Lord  that  they  train 
up  their  children  to  be  His  subjects.  In  this  way  the  motions 
of  the  flesh  are  made  tributary  to  the  kingdom  of  God,  as  is 
the  appetite  for  food  by  its  ministering  to  the  preservation  and 
growth  of  the  body,  which  is  the  temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost ;  so 
that  here  also  applies  the  saying  of  the  apostle,  "  Every  creature 
of  God  is  good  (in  itself),  and  nothing  to  be  refused  if  it  be 
received  with  thanksgiving''^  The  Lord's  Prayer,  when  prayed 
with  a  grateful  heart  over  food,  converts  it  from  being  poor 
food  for  the  body  into  a  spiritual  blessing,  a  mean  of  promot- 
ing the  Lord's  kingdom,  and  a  pledge  of  the  munificent  heart 
which  is  displayed  in  His  manifold  gifts  to  man.  The  same 
may  be  said  of  the  natural  instincts,  in  so  far  as  they  are  con- 
secrated in  holy  wedlock,  and  employed,  not  for  carnal  pleasure 
and  in  mere  bondage  to  the  flesh,  but  are  refined  and  elevated 
by  a  spiritual  affection  for  the  mate  assigned  to  us  by  God,  and 
in  order,  if  such  be  His  will,  to  usher  into  the  world  future 
subjects  for  His  kingdom. 

1  Gen,  ii.  22.  ^  Matt,  xix,  3  et  seq.  ^  i  Tim,  iv,  4, 


51.  Yoicr  Body  is  the  Temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost.       313 

Not  until,  in  the  light  of  divine  truth,  a  clear  conception  of 
the  nature  of  holy  wedlock,  and  its  efficacy  in  sanctifying  the 
natural  instincts,  has  dawned  upon  the  mind,  does  a  man 
learn  what  being  unchaste  really  is.  Then,  however,  with  holy 
shame  he  recognises  how  every  motion  of  the  flesh,  unless 
spiritually  cleansed  and  sanctified  in  matrimony,  lowers  him 
to  a  level  with  the  brute,  just  like  the  brutish  appetites  which 
cleave  to  meat  and  drink  for  the  mere  pleasure  they  afford. 
Then  does  he  blush  to  feel  how  the  female  is  degraded  when 
made  the  mere  partner  of  a  low  passion — then  does  his  con- 
science begin  to  quake  at  the  crime  of  ushering,  yr^;;^  any  such 
ig?ioble  motive,  a  human  life  into  the  world — a  life  destined  to 
ejidurefor  ever  in  felicity  or  woe,  and  that  under  circumstances 
wholly  devoid  of  the  means  and  appliances  for  trai7iing  it  for 
heaven.  Oh  ye  who  are  the  offspring  of  unguarded  hours,  the 
fruit  of  criminal  passion,  doomed  to  grow  up  without  knowing 
what  it  is  to  \\2iYQ  father  or  mother,  or  sister  or  brother,  or  any 
one  to  care  for  your  bodies  or  to  watch  for  your  souls,  without 
parental  blessing  or  social  respect — how  if  ye  shall  one  day, 
before  the  throne  of  God,  call  down  vengeance  upon  the 
authors  of  your  birth,  and  all  your  sins  be  made  to  fall  upon 
their  heads  !  Human  life  is  a  holy  thing,  and  we  deem  it  a 
crime  to  put  an  end  to  it  in  thoughtless  delirium.  Is  it  less  a 
crime  in  thoughtless  dehrium  to  give  it  a  beginniiig  1 

When  a  Christian  has  learned  to  treat  with  chaste  and 
priestly  reserve  all  that  has  a  reference  to  sex,  how  he  must 
abominate  the  levity  with  which  the  world  is  wont  to  make 
such  subjects  the  theme  of  light  and  often  filthy  jests.  The 
Christian,  on  the  contrary,  feels  himself  bound  to  say,  This  also 
is  holy  ground;  and  oh,  how  loud  the  call  to  seriousness  in 
all  that  concerns  chastity  which  resounds  from  the  Word  of 
God! 

"  Whosoever  looketh  on  a  womaii  to  lust  after  her  hath  com- 
mitted adultery  with  her  already  in  his  heaj't^  O  terrible  word  ! 
How  like  a  flash  of  devouring  lightning  it  darts  in  upon  the 
frivolity  of  the  world  and  the  age  !     It  is  the  word  of  a  God 


314       51-  your  Body  is  the  Temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

who,  from  those  He  enlists  in  His  service,  requires  purity  in 
the  heart  as  well  as  in  the  bodily  members.  Every  sin  begins 
much  earlier  than  the  outward  act  in  which  it  breaks  forth,  just 
as  the  conflagration  commences  long  before  the  flame  bursts 
inextinguishably  through  window  and  roof.  Oh,  with  how 
adulterous  a  generation  we  are  encompassed  on  every  side,  if 
the  men  of  our  time  are  to  be  judged  by  this  word  of  the  Lord  ! 
Do  they  remember  at  all  the  seventh  commandment  to  keep  it 
holy,  or  ever  think  that  it  is  possible  to  break  it  even  with  the 
lips  and  the  heart 'i  We  are  told  to  resist  the  beginnings  of  all 
passion ;  and  in  the  case  of  a  passion  so  inflammable  as  that 
of  which  we  speak,  it  is  of  special  necessity  to  smother  the 
impure  fire  so  long  as  it  merely  glimmers  in  the  heart,  and  does 
not  burst  out  at  the  windows.  Know  you  not  the  adage. 
Beginning  and  end  join  hand  in  hand.  How  lightly  the 
children  of  the  world  treat  what  the  apostle  calls  "  filthiness, 
and  fooUsh  talking,  and  jesting"  !  They  say,  forsooth.  It  was 
a  mere  passing  word  !  But  who  does  not  know  how  every  such 
word  we  utter  has  a  retroactive  effect  upon  the  tinder  of  lust 
in  the  interior  of  the  heart  ?  As  a  draught  of  wind  strengthens 
the  flame  on  which  it  is  let  in,  the  same  effect  upon  an  impure 
desire  has  the  utterance  of  it  in  speech.  Oh,  my  friends,  be 
assured  there  is  no  hoHer  guardian  of  chastity  than  shame. 
There  are  persons  who  say,  "  If  it  be  the  heart  at  which  God 
looks,  does  the  emission  of  lust  out  of  it  make  a  man  worse,  or 
is  he  the  better  for  keeping  it  in?  The  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
here  tells  us,  that  long  before  the  act,  adultery  is  already  com- 
mitted by  a  look.  If,  then,  you  say  that  a  man  does  not  become 
worse  by  the  escape  of  his  lust,  how  can  he  be  better  by  its 
retention  1  why  not  give  the  enemy  leave  to  make  off,  seeing  he 
creates  so  great  a  disturbance  within,  and  the  matter  is  not 
mended?"  This  inference  has  a  fair  show  of  truth;  but  it 
masks  a  knave  who  pretends  concern  for  the  divine  command- 
ment and  law,  while  he  is  really  seeking  a  decent  cloak  for  his 
licentiousness.  It  is  a  case  to  which  the  apothegm  applies, 
"  My  gifts  to  the  mother  are  meant  for  the  daughter."    Observe, 


5 1.  Yoicr  Body  is  the  Temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost.       3 1 5 

a  distinction  must  be  drawn  between  two  sorts  of  passion.  The 
one  is  a  fire  which  has  already  spread  over  the  whole  house, 
and  burned  the  rafters  to  ashes,  so  that  nothing  is  wanting  but 
a  gust  of  air  to  set  it  in  a  blaze  at  every  corner.  The  other  is 
still  a  harmless  spark,  which  keeps  to  the  floor,  and  will  never 
rise  to  a  flame  if  you  do  not  open  the  window.  In  the  one 
case  the  heart  is  already  filled  with  filth,  and  only  needs  a 
sluice  through  which  it  may  be  discharged ;  in  the  other  it  only 
becomes  full  if  the  sluice  be  opened.  In  the  one  the  devil  has 
already  woven  his  beautiful  web  in  the  dark  with  both  woof 
and  warp,  and  lacks  but  opportunity  to  show  it  ofl"  to  the 
people ;  in  the  other  he  has  merely  wrought  in  a  few  threads 
of  the  warp,  being  hindered  by  want  of  light  from  freely  and 
openly  carrying  on  his  work,  unless  you  let  light  in.  Do  no 
such  thing,  but  instantly  close  every  sluice  and  opening  about 
you,  such  as  eyes  and  mouth  and  ears.  Mark,  also,  how  here 
Christ  has  not  said,  "  Whosoever  looketh  on  a  woman  to  lust 
after  her  hath  already  committed  adultery,"  but  has  purposely 
subjoined  the  three  little  words,  "  in  his  heart  /^  thereby  signi- 
fying that  the  act  he  speaks  of  is  indeed  an  adultery,  but  not 
so  heinous  as  when  it  is  manifested  to  all  the  world. 

Oh  how  high  the  estimation  in  which  sacred  Scripture  has 
set  the  frail  earthly  tabernacle  of  the  human  body  !  This  the 
apostle  tells  us  when  he  says,  that  since  his  spirit  has  been  knit 
in  wedlock  to  the  Spirit  of  Christ,  none  of  his  members  is  any 
longer  his  own,  but  is  the  property  of  the  Lord;  and  if  so,  none 
of  them  ought  to  be  used  under  the  capricious  impulse  of  the 
wind  of  passion.  There  is  another  wind  which  blows  in  a 
Christian ;  for  it  is  written  that  "  the  sons  of  God  are  led  by 
the  Spirit  of  God,"^  and  so  are  always  led  in  a  way  which 
accords  with  His  commandments,  and  of  which  he  approves. 
A  Christian  man  is  therefore  2,  priest^  who,  with  all  the  mem- 
bers of  his  body  and  by  every  action  of  his  life,  perpetually 
presents  an  offering  of  frankincense  to  God,  according  to  the 
words  of  the  apostle  :  "  Ye  are  bought  with  a  price ;  therefore 

1  Rom.  viii.  14, 


3i6       51.  Yo7cr  Body  is  the  Temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

glorify  God  in  your  body  and  in  your  spirit,  which  are  God's." 
Again,  we  Christians  are  soldiers^  and  all  our  members  weapons 
which  belong  to  Christ,  and  with  which  we  are  to  fight  against 
sin  in  the  holy  cause  of  our  beloved  Lord,  as  the  apostle  says, 
"  Neither  yield  ye  your  members  as  instruments  of  unright- 
eousness unto  sin ;  but  yield  yourselves  unto  God,  as  those 
that  are  alive  from  the  dead,  and  your  members  as  instruments 
of  righteousness  unto  God."^  And  again  :  "  The  night  is  far 
spent ;  the  day  is  at  hand  :  let  us  therefore  cast  off  the  works 
of  darkness,  and  let  us  put  on  the  armour  of  light."  ^  If,  then, 
I  am  my  Lord  Christ's  soldier,  ought  I  to  desert  His  standard 
and  carry  my  weapons  into  the  service  of  His  adversary  ?  What 
honest  soldier  ever  acted  such  a  part  ?  Moreover.'that  lewdness, 
more  than  any  other  sin  committed  by  the  members,  defiles 
and  dishonours  the  body  is  manifest ;  for  though  gross  false- 
hood may  have  slipped  over  thy  tongue,  and  though  thy  hand 
may  even  have  perpetrated  a  murder,  still  these  are  transient 
acts,  and  the  filth  of  them  does  not  cleave  so  closely  to  the 
body,  and  so  deeply  mark,  poison,  and  disfigure  it  as  fleshly 
indulgences,  and,  worst  of  all,  lewdness.  That  is  the  reason 
why  the  apostle  here  says,  "  Every  sin  that  a  man  doeth  is 
without  the  body ;  but  he  that  committeth  fornication  sinneth 
against  his  own  body." 

Neither  I  nor  my  members  are  any  longer  my  own.  They 
are  Christ's,  and  by  every  unchaste  act  I  sin  against  Him  as 
well  as  against  myself.  Pious  Joseph  !  thou  too  didst  know 
that  he  who  sins  against  his  body  sins  also  against  some  one  else, 
and  in  the  hour  of  temptation  didst  exclaim,  "  How  can  I  do 
this  great  wickedness  and  sin  agaiftst  God  ?  "  and  thine  example 
I  will  keep  before  my  eyes.  But  from  Thee,  also,  my  God,  I 
will  implore  strength  to  be  chaste  and  temperate,  and  of  a  pure 
heart,  as  Solomon  of  old  prayed :  "When  I  perceived  that  I 
could  not  otherwise  obtain  wisdom,  except  God  gave  her  me, 
I  prayed  unto  the  Lord,  and  besought  Him."  And  Thou,  too, 
O  Lord  Christ,  whose  priest  and  soldier  I  am,  set  Thyself 

1  Rom.  vi.  13.  2  Rom.  xiii.  iz. 


52.   The  Love  of  Money  is  the  Root  of  all  Evil.       3 1 7 

before  my  eyes  in  Thy  robe  of  light,  that  I  may  hate  whatever 
in  me  is  dark.  Stand  ever  before  me  in  the  guise  of  Thy 
sufferings — those  sufferings  that  were  endured  for  love  of  me. 
Let  Thy  nails  be  thorns  in  my  side  at  every  motion  of  lust ;  let 
Thy  thorny  crown  pierce  deep  into  my  heart  when  impure 
desires  would  there  awake.  O  crucified  Love,  let  all  be  cruci- 
fied within  and  about  me  which  does  not  resemble  Thee  ! 

Holy  and  chaste,  O  Lord,  Thou  wert, 
So  pure  Thy  love  that  it  preferred, 

Of  Adam's  fallen  race, 
To  be  Thy  bride  no  single  soul, 
"    But  yearned  to  comprehend  the  whole 
Within  its  vast  embrace. 
O  do  my  breast  inspire 
With  a  like  holy  fire, 
And  let  its  spotless  hght 
Beam  through  my  being  quite, 
And  teach  me  how  to  love  aright. 
Lord,  Thou  didst  brook  a  death  of  pain, 
And  in  the  garden  groan,  to  gain 
Thy  bride,  beloved  so  well. 
Let  Thy  fond  toils  and  holy  zeal. 
And  woes  endured  my  soul  to  heal. 
Deep  in  my  memory  dwell  ; 
So  shall  I  see,  with  shame. 
And  feel  how  vile  I  am  ; 
So,  too.  Thy  passion's  smart 
Shall  keenly  wound  my  heart, 
And  all  its  sinful  lusts  depart. 


52. 

SEfje  iLo6e  o£  iKoneg  is  tje  Hoat  of  all  ®6tl. 

My  care  is,  like  the  little  birds,  to  praise  and  thank  the  Lord  ; 
His  to  provide  my  meat  and  drink,  according  to  His  word. 

I  John,  ii.  16.  "All  that  is  in  the  world,  the  lust  of  the 
flesh,  and  the  lust  of  the  eyes,  and  the  pride  of  life,  is  not 
of  the  Father,  but  is  of  the  world." 


3 1 8       52.    The  Love  of  Money  is  the  Root  of  all  Evil. 

Psalm  cxxvii.   i,  2.    "  Except   the  Lord  build  the   house, 
they  labour  in  vain  that  build  it :  except  the  Lord  keep 
the  city,  the  watchman  waketh  but  in  vain.     It  is  in  vain 
for  you  to  rise  up  early,  to  sit  up  late,  to  eat  the  bread  of 
sorrows,  for  he  giveth  to  His  beloved  while  asleep."  ^ 
Matt.  vi.  34.   "  Take  therefore  no  thought  for  the  morrow  : 
for  the  morrow  shall  take  thought  for  the  things  of  itself. 
Sufficient  unto  the  day  is  the  evil  thereof." 
Matt.  vi.  11.     "  Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread." 
Matt.  vi.  24.     "  Ye  cannot  serve  God  and  mammon." 
I  Tim.  vi.  10.     "  The  love  of  money  is  the  root  of  all  evil ; 
which  while  some  coveted  after,  they  have  erred  from  the 
faith,  and  pierced  themselves  through  with  many  sorrows." 
pROV.  XXX.  8.     "  Give  me  neither  poverty  nor  riches ;  feed 
me  with  food  convenient  for  me." 

"/^~^  IVE  us  this  day  our  daily  bread  "  is  a  favourite  petition 
VJT  of  mine,  in  the  prayer  of  our  Lord.  I  know  full  well 
that  some  endeavour  to  affix  to  it  a  spiritual  meaning,  but  of 
that  I  cannot  approve.  The  Lord  has  given  us  so  many 
beautiful  petitions  for  spiritual  good  things,  ought  there  not 
to  be  at  least  one  in  which  we  may  beg  from  Him  what  is 
good  for  the  body?  It  is  so  pleasant  a  sight,  when  around 
the  head  of  a  family  upon  earth,  the  children,  and  servants, 
and  all  the  members  of  the  household  congregate  with  expec- 
tant and  supplicating  eyes,  and  when  his  hand  deals  out  to 
each  the  portion  convenient  for  him.  And  pleasant  also  is  it 
for  the  soul  to  figure  to  itself  the  Master  of  the  world  seated 
upon  the  golden  rainbow,  which  reaches  from  heaven  to  earth, 
and  the  whole  human  family,  with  the  beasts  of  the  field  and 
the  fowls  of  the  air,  approaching  Him  every  returning  morn- 
ing, and  departing  with  their  wants  satisfied  by  His  hands.  It 
is  thus  that  I  picture  to  myself  our  Father  in  heaven  when 
I  pray,  "  Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread,"  and  think  of  all 
the   thousand   millions  who   come   along  with   me   into  His 

1  Luther's  version. 


5  2.   The  L  ove  of  Money  is  the  Root  of  all  Evil.       3 1 9 

presence,  and,  whether  silently  or  with  articulate  speech,  join 
in  my  supplication.  It  seems  to  me  as  if  the  bread  were 
tasteless  until  it  has  been  consecrated  and  blessed  by  prayer 
and  thanksgiving.  Were  I  forbidden  to  pray  for  it,  I  should 
then  be  obliged  to  take  anxious  thought  about  it.  Now,  how- 
ever, this  brief  petition,  which  has  been  taught  us  by  the  Lord, 
serves  as  a  little  vessel,  on  which  I  embark  all  my  anxiety, 
and  cast  it  upon  Him  who  commands  us  to  do  so,  saying  in 
His  Word,  "  Cast  all  your  care  upon  Him,  for  He  careth  for 
you."  1  "  When  care  has  driven  me  to  prayer,"  says  worthy 
Philip  Melanchthon,  "  I  in  my  turn  drive  care  by  prayer  away." 
If,  in  this  manner,  we  have  committed  our  whole  cause  unto 
the  Lord,  we  then  enter  upon  our  employments  with  double 
alacrity,  and  all  our  works  prosper  as  if  the  hands  of  angels 
helped  us  to  perform  them.  No  doubt  the  cheerful  song, 
"  Begone,  dull  care,"  is  sung  by  birds  of  very  different  feather. 
It  is  sung  by  the  sprightly  finch,  who  looks  mirthfully  out,  like 
thoughtless  Jack,  upon  the  world ;  but  it  is  also  sung  by  the 
lark,  when  in  the  blush  of  morning  it  soars  aloft  into  the 
clouds.  Judging  from  the  sound,  we  might  suppose  that  it 
was  all  one  melody;  but  listen  with  attention  and  you  wull 
soon  perceive  that,  although  there  seems  little  difference  in 
the  notes,  the  ivords  at  least  are  not  the  same.  For  while  the 
one  sings — 

On  nothing  have  I  built  my  cause ; 
the  other  is  singing — 

I  upon  God  my  cause  have  built. 

And  if  you  listen  a  little  longer,  you  will,  I  think,  come  to  find 
that  there  is  a  difference  also  in  the  tune. 

How  grateful  I  feel  to  our  blessed  Lord,  that  both  by  the 
beautiful  prayer,  "  Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread,"  and  like- 
wise by  the  no  less  beautiful /r*?^^/,  "  Take  no  thought  for  the 
morrow,"  He  has  made  us  so  perfectly  free,  and  has  disencum- 
bered us  not  only  of  care,  but  at  the  same  time  of  avarice,  that 
1  I  Peter,  v.  7. 


320       52.   The  Love  of  Money  is  the  Root  of  all  Evil. 

hateful  vice,  which  crajvls  like  a  reptile  upon  the  ground  !  Of 
all  sins,  avarice  seems  to  me  the  least  hiunan.  From  other 
sins  a  man  reaps  a  certain  modicum  of  good,  while  they  still 
leave  unbroken  some  of  the  ties  that  bind  him  to  his  fellow- 
men  j  but  the  miser  tears  himself  loose  from  his  kind,  as  well 
as  from  living  nature,  to  caress  a  piece  of  lifeless  metal.  It  is 
a  most  irrational  sin,  but  may  be  best  understood  when  it  is 
the  offspring  of  an  unbelieving  heart,  which  puts  no  trust  in 
Him  who  feeds  the  sprightly  birds  of  the  air,  and  clothes  the 
lilies  of  the  field.  It  does  seem  to  me  a  toilsome  piece  of 
work  which  the  miser  undertakes,  for  it  is  nothing  less  than 
to  provide  beforehand  against  all  that  the  future  may  bring — 
against  danger,  and  dearth,  and  disease,  and  nakedness.  No 
wonder  that  there  is  no  end  to  his  cares,  and  yet  that  he  him- 
self never  thinks  that  he  is  careful  enough.  The  blind  fool ! 
God  has  made  the  task  so  easy  to  him,  and  yet  he  makes  it  so 
difficult  to  himself.  In  the  fear  of  a  future  burden  he  heaps 
millstones  upon  his  shoulder,  and  in  apprehension  of  possible 
strokes  of  the  rod,  is  every  moment  actually  lashing  the  skin 
from  his  back.  Unhappy  man  !  surely  there  are  already 
millstones  and  stripes  enough  in  the  world  \  why  shouldst 
thou  of  thine  own  accord  add  to  their  number? 

Even  the  avarice  which  is  the  offspring  of  unbelief  is  irra- 
tio?ial;  for  how  can  so  weak  a  creature  as  man  erect  a  fence, 
or  stop  the  chinks  so  as  to  protect  himself,  from  what  quarter 
soever  the  bitter  wind  may  blow  ?  In  another  respect,  how- 
ever, the  miser  acts  contrary  to  reason.  At  every  step  by 
which  he  advances  towards  the  boundary  where  all  earthly 
care  is  to  be  laid  aside,  his  carefulness,  instead  of  lessening, 
becomes  greater,  which  shows  off  his  folly  in  the  clearest 
light.  Moreover,  just  as  misfortunes  never  come  single,  so 
neither  does  this  sin.  A  certain  haughtiness  and  pride  always 
go  hand  in  hand  with  the  unbelief  of  avarice ;  and  the  reason 
is  this  :  money  is  the  common  measure  by  which  the  world 
estimates  worth,  and  the  miser,  knowing  this,  feels  his  own 
weight,  takes  credit  to  himself  for  it,  and  says  to  his  soul. 


5  2.   The  Love  of  Money  is  the  Root  of  all  Evil.       3  2 1 

"  Soul,  thou  now  possessest  what  many  thousands  long  for, 
but  cannot  find  ;  take  then  thine  ease."  As  is  the  case,  how- 
ever, with  all  sin,  so  likewise  is  it  with  the  pride  of  purse;  the 
evil  passion  falls  out  with  itself.  The  person  we  describe 
would  fain  publish  on  every  street  the  magnitude  of  his  accu- 
mulated treasures,  in  order  to  receive  his  reward  from  the 
world,  and  be  treated  with  due  respect.  Fain  would  he  stalk 
along  in  pomp  and  splendour,  that,  as  Luther  says,  he  may  be 
taken  for  one  of  the  great  ones.  But  here  he  is  encountered 
by  the  fear  that,  by  proclaiming  the  greatness  of  his  riches,  he 
may  incur  the  danger  of  their  loss ;  and  hence  he  is  compelled 
to  content  himself,  well  or  ill,  with  burning  his  incense  beside 
his  money-bags,  in  the  silence  and  privacy  of  his  own  chamber, 
and  before  himself  Now,  if  a  man  have  carried  his  foolish 
greed  of  the  earthly  mammon  to  the  furthest  extreme,  then, 
just  as  we  see  in  the  case  of  other  sins,  that  the  sinner  loses 
all  thought,  and  runs  quite  like  a  dog  or  other  lower  animal, 
in  spite  of  blows,  wherever  hunger  drives  him,  and  rushes 
upon  the  object  of  his  desire,  so  likewise  does  it  happen  to  the 
miser.  Without  consciousness  or  thought,  and  as  if  impelled 
by  a  natural  instinct,  he  is  enticed  by  the  yellow  lustre  of  the 
metal,  and  can  never  satiate  himself  with  beholding  it.  There 
have  been  instances  of  misers,  when  overtaken  by  the  hour  of 
death,  and  forced  to  bid  adieu  to  all  things,  causing  their 
money-bags,  as  the  dearest  of  objects,  to  be  brought  into  their 
presence,  in  order  to  feast  their  eyes  with  another  and  a  final 
look  at  them. 

Oh  how  the  divine  image  is  dishonoured  when  thus  sur- 
rendered in  bondage  to  the  lifeless  dust  of  the  earth  !  Oh  the 
disgrace  of  such  idolatry  I  ^  There  stands  the  yellow  Moloch, 
and  into  its  fiery  belly  are  cast  wife  and  child,  honour,  affec- 
tion, and  enjoyment — all,  all  must  be  sacrificed  at  the  com- 
mand of  the  idol.  This,  no  doubt,  is  the  reason  why  the 
apostle  calls  avarice  "  the  root  of  all  evil."  It  is  very  true 
that  the  habit  of  sacrificing  all  to  his  idol  is  not  peculiar  to  the 
1  Col.  iii.  5. 
X 


322       $2.  The  Love  of  Money  is  the  Root  of  all  Evil. 

miser,  for  whatever  a  man  loves  supremely  becomes  an  idol 
to  him ;  and  whether  it  be  Baal  or  Moloch,  to  it  he  offers  up 
everything  else.  Thus  will  the  voluptuary,  in  the  madness 
of  his  passion,  cast  wife,  child,  honour,  and  wealth  into  the 
arms  of  the  fiery  Moloch,  and  still  more  will  the  proud  man 
do  for  the  Baal  of  his  pride.  In  one  respect,  however,  avarice 
differs  from  other  kinds  of  sin.  The  slave  of  pride,  and  still 
more  the  slave  of  lust,  retain  in  a  higher  degree  sensibility  for 
what  among  men  is  considered  delicate,  tender,  and  lovely; 
and  unless  their  sin  have  been  indulged  to  the  greatest  excess, 
they  can  still  take  delight  in  the  beauties  and  sublimities  of 
nature.  Of  the  miser,  however,  the  contrary  of  all  this  is  true ; 
for  from  him  neither  the  gentle  love  of  woman,  nor  the  inno- 
cent laughter  of  children,  nor  the  magnificent  works  of  nature, 
can  any  longer  elicit  a  sense  of  joy.  The  sallow  glitter  of 
gold,  that  reflection  of  hell,  obliterates  even  the  most  beautiful 
picture  which  the  material  world  paints  to  charm  the  eye. 
Here  again  it  may  be  discovered,  that  what  a  man  believes 
determines  how  he  lives,  and  that  he  himself  becomes  such  as 
is  his  god. 

Man  grows  like  what  he  worships,  and  the  curse 
Of  base  idolatry  lies  in  itself. 

Having  surrendered  himself  a  slave  to  the  dust  of  the  earth, 
the  miser,  like  that  dust,  becomes  'dry  and  sapless,  pale,  cold, 
and  dead  as  the  metal  at  his  feet,  to  which  he  has  sold  his 
heart. 

Who  can  the  magic  power  of  gold  divine, 
With  which  it  tempts  the  sons  of  men  astray? 
By  hell  ignited  seems  its  pallid  shine, 
A  night-laid  lure,  and  human  souls  the  prey. 
Lifeless  and  wan,  it  yet  can  love  inspire. 
And  woo  to  bridal  joys  with  flatteries  base  ; 
Till,  quenched  by  icy  coldness  all  his  fire, 
The  lover  turns  to  stone  in  its  embrace. 

Arrested  in  my  veins  the  blood  I  feel, 
When  thee,  O  sordid  idol,  I  behold  ; 
Thy  secret  spells  through  all  my  being  steal. 
And  like  a  net  unseen  my  heart  enfold. 


52.   The  Love  of  Money  is  the  Root  of  all  Evil.       323 

But,  Lord,  on  Thy  warm  breast  in  terror  sinking, 
I  fly  the  fiend  that  seeks  me  for  a  prey, 
And  love  eternal  at  the  fountain  drinking, 
I  spurn  for  ever  earth's  vile  dross  away. 

Gracious  God,  Thou  hast  freed  me  from  all  servile  care,  as 
well  as  from  all  ungodly  carelessness  touching  the  good  things 
of  this  earth.  My  prayer  to  Thee,  therefore,  is,  Protect  me 
from  riches ;  protect  me  also  from  poverty.  *'  Give  me  the 
portion  convenient  for  me,"  and  help  me  to  employ  it  faith- 
fully as  Thy  steward.  There  is  truth  in  the  saying  of  the 
apostle,  that  "  they  that  will  be  rich  fall  into  temptation  and 
a  snare."  ^  Whatever  worldly  wealth  we  do  possess,  we  ought, 
according  to  the  same  apostle's  admonition,  to  "  possess  as 
though  we  possessed  it  not."  The  case,  however,  rather  is, 
that  the  more  a  man  has,  the  more  does  his  heart  from  custom 
become  attached  to  it,  so  that  he  will  not  let  it  go.  As  the 
hen  is  unwilling  to  lay  her  egg  except  in  the  nest  where  one 
has  been  already  laid,  so  none  think  of  accumulating  riches  but 
he  who  already  possesses  some  little  store.  Hence,  as  Luther 
says,  nowhere  is  dearth  so  great  as  in  places  where  there  are 
wealthy  people ;  and  the  temptation  to  avarice  is  far  stronger 
among  the  rich  than  among  the  poor.  Just,  however,  as  that 
reformer  has  compared  the  world  to  a  drunken  clown,  who,  if 
he  does  not  fall  from  his  ass  on  the  right  side,  is  sure  to  fall 
off  on  the  left ;  so  does  it  happen  to  the  rich  man,  that  if  he 
escapes  the  snare  of  avarice,  he  is  betrayed  into  that  of  luxury. 
No  doubt  it  is  possible  for  those  who  possess  the  good  things 
of  this  world  "  to  tise,  as  not  abusing  them ;  "  ^  but  the  proverb 
tells  us  that  "  opportunity  makes  thieves ; "  and  if  we  have  the 
power  over  many  things,  the  use  we  make  of  many  of  them 
is  so  immoderate  as  at  last  to  become  abuse.  Qn  the  other 
hand,  poverty  is  likewise  a  temptation  from  the  Lord,  inas- 
much as  it  impoverishes  a  man  of  his  courage ;  and  it  is  ex- 
ceedingly difficult  to  keep  the  heart  aloft  with  God  while  the 
members  are  toiling  bitterly  here  below.      For  this  reason, 

1  I  Tim.  vi.  9.  2  I  (^'or.  vii.  31. 


324       52.   The  Love  of  Money  is  the  Root  of  all  Evil, 

doubtless,  the  easiest  task  which  the  Lord  imposes  upon  His 
disciples  is  that  of  those  to  whom  He  allots  a  convefiienf  por- 
tiofi,  neither  too  little  nor  too  much.     Alas  !  when  I  seriously 
reflect,  I  find  that  it  is  a  great  deal  over  which  I  have  been 
appointed  steward.     There  is  deep  truth  in  the  saying  of  the 
poet,  that   "  the   poorest   beggar,   even  when  his  penury  is 
greatest,  has  still  superfluity."     How  few  there  are  who  can- 
not, when  put  to  it,  increase  their  savings,  and  curtail  their 
outlay !  and  even  if  that  be  impossible,  how  many  powers 
and  talents  they  possess  which  may  still  be  laid  out  at  in- 
terest, not  only  for  heaven,  but  also  for  this  earth,  to  the 
increase  of  their  temporal  welfare  !      The   faithful   manage- 
ment of  these  earthly  good  things  is  the  first  step  that  we 
must  take,  as  the  Lord  expressly  says,  "  He  that  is  faithful 
in  that  which  is  least  is  faithful  also  in  much;  and  he  that 
is  unjust  in  the  least  is  unjust  also  in  much.     If,  therefore, 
ye  have  not  been  faithful  in  the  unrighteous  mammon,  who 
will  commit  to   your  trust  the  true  riches?  and  if  ye  have 
not  been  faithful  in  that  which  is  another  man's,  who  shall 
give  you   that  which  is  your  own  ?  "  ^      According  to  this, 
earthly  riches  are  another's,  and  are  not  the  triie  riches ;  and 
until  we  learn  to  manage  them  according  to  the  will  of  God, 
the  higher  blessings  will  not  be  committed  to  our  charge. 
This  is  a  very  serious  appeal.     How  frequently  does  the  Lord 
in  His  Word  inculcate  upon  us  such  duties  as  the  giving  of 
alms,  laying  up   treasures  in   heaven,    making   to   ourselves 
friends  in  the  everlasting  habitations  with  earthly  mammon, 
and  not  fastening  the  heart  upon  riches  !  ^     So  that  we  easily 
see  that  one  chief  point  in  a  Christian's  life  is  to  lay  out 
earthly  wealth  at  interest  and  usury  for  the  kingdom  of  God. 
The  man  who  will  not  intrust  his  body  to  the  Lord  will  cer- 
tainly not  intrust  his  soul  to   Him ;    and  just  as  little  will 
he  who,  in  the  use  of  his  wealth,  forgets  his  future  account- 
ability, employ  his  talents  and  his  mind  in  the  Lord's  service. 

1  Luke,  xvi.  10-12. 

2  Mark,  x.  24;  Luke,  xii,  15-33;  Matt.  vi.  20;  Luke,  xvi.  9. 


52.   The  Love  of  Moiiey  is  the  Root  of  all  Evil       325 

For  this  reason  I  implore  Thee,  gracious  God,  help  me  to 
disengage  my  heart  from  all  that  I  possess,  that  so  I  may 
cheerfully  surrender  it,  to  be  at  Thy  free  disposal.  What  am 
I,  with  all  my  wealth,  but  Thy  purse-bearer  ?  Only  let  me 
hear  Thy  voice  distinctly  when  Thou  sayest,  "  Open  my 
money-bag,  and  pay  out  for  me ; "  and  then  help  me  to 
perform  with  my  hand  what  I  have  heard  with  my  ears. 
Alas  !  I  know  full  well  how  easily  a  man  may  be  brought  to 
cleave  anxiously  to  earthly  wealth,  and  therefore  I  shrink 
from  the  least  commencement  of  such  idolatry  of  mammon. 
I  almost  tremble  when  I  catch  myself  looking  with  special 
fondness  upon  a  bit  of  gold.  He  who  has  never  experienced 
that  it  fascinates  like  the  eye  of  the  rattlesnake,  may  laugh  at 
me  if  he  likes ;  but  the  person  who  has  once  been  bitten  by  a 
serpent  may  be  excused  for  being  afraid  of  even  the  bit  of  rope 
that  he  sees  lying  upon  the  road. 

Jesus,  in  Thy  compassion  great, 
Didst  Thou,  to  share  our  poor  estate 

On  earth,  resign  Thy  heavenly  throne  ? 
How  deep  my  shame  that  earthly  treasure 
Allures  my  heart,  or  gives  it  pleasure. 

Whose  portion  should  be  God  alone  ! 
Oh  let  Thy  sore  abasement  be 

A  faithful  monitor  to  me,  ' 

So  that  each  wish  unblest 
May  humbly  be  confessed, 
And  deeply  mourned  upon  Thy  breast. 

Straw  and  a  manger  were  Thy  bed  ; 
No  place  hadst  Thou  to  lay  Thy  head, 

When  into  earth's  bleak  desert  born. 
How  then  shall  I  my  head  repose 
On  pleasures  withering  as  the  rose, 

Since  Thou  for  me  didst  bear  such  scorn  ? 
Grant  that  Thy  want  and  poverty 
My  buckler  and  my  shield  may  be, 
When  greed  of  worldly  gain, 
Or  thirst  of  pleasures  vain, 
Attempts  in  my  weak  heart  to  reign. 


326        53-  Learn  of  Me,  for  I  am  meek  and  lowly. 

53. 

ilearn  of  JHe,  for  31  am  mzt^  attti  loirilg. 

What  is  HUMILITY  ?     //  is  to  be 

ozone's  OWN  self  forgetful.    But  to  thee 

That  seems  a  bitter  viorsel,  and  to  mete 

Thy  worth  with  that  of  others  far  more  sweet. 

Make  Jesus  then  thy  model,  and  I  think 

Thenceforth  from  all  comparing  thou  wilt  shrink. 

I  John,  ii.  16.  "All  that  is  in  the  world,  the  lust  of  the 
flesh,  and  the  lust  of  the  eyes,  and  the  pride  of  life,  is  not 
of  the  Father,  but  is  of  the  world." 

Matt.  xi.  29.  "Take  my  yoke  upon  you,  and  learn  of  me; 
for  I  am  meek  and  lowly  in  heart :  and  ye  shall  find  rest 
unto  your  souls." 

Phil.  ii.  2-5.  "Fulfil  ye  my  joy,  that  ye  be  fike-minded, 
having  the  same  love,  being  of  one  accord,  of  one  mind. 
Let  nothing  be  done  through  strife  or  vainglory ;  but  in 
lowliness  of  mind  let  each  esteem  other  better  than  them- 
selves. Look  not  every  man  on  his  own  things,  but  every 
man  also  on  the  things  of  others.  Let  this  mind  be  in 
you,  which  was  also  in  Christ  Jesus." 

EccLUS.  iii.  18-20.  "  The  greater  thou  art,  the  more  humble 
thyself,  and  thou  shalt  find  favour  before  the  Lord ;  for 
the  power  of  the  Lord  is  great,  and  He  is  honoured  of  " 
(Luther's  version,  "  doeth  great  things  by  ")  "  the  lowly." 

PRIDE  was  the  first  sin  committed  in  the  universe  which 
God  had  created  pure ;  by  it  the  archangel  fell,  and^was 
cast  into  the  bottomless  pit  j  and  pride  is  the  last  sin  which  is 
extirpated  from  the  hearts  of  the  regenerate.  This  St  Augus- 
tine affirms.  He  says  :  "  When  the  saint  imagines  that  he  sees 
all  his  lusts  at  his  feet,  and  begins  on  that  account  to  exult, 


53-  Learn  of  Me,  for  I  am  meek  and  lowly.        327 

the  voice  of  Satan  is  heard  amidst  his  exultation  calling  to 
him,  '  Why,  O  man,  dost  thou  rejoice  ?  see,  even  here  I  am  pre- 
sent.' "  More  than  any  other  it  is  a  sin  which,  when  beaten 
from  the  outworks,  can  retreat  into  the  inmost  recesses  of  the 
breast,  and  more  and  more  deceptively  assume  the  form  of  an 
angel  of  light.  Of  all  sins  it  is  the  most  spiritual,  and  for  that 
reason  also  the  most  deep-rooted  and  seductive.  It  is  the  sin 
through  which  man  is  most  easily  seduced  into  a  conceit  of  his 
own  greatness,  and  in  that  way  it  betrayed  Lucifer  to  his  fall. 
For  what  is  the  object  to  which  haughtiness  and  pride  aspire? 
Is  it  not  the  idea  entertained  by  other  men  of  our  worth  which 
casts  its  brightness  and  glimmer  into  our  own  soul,  and  so  be- 
comes our  idol  ?  Pride  is  consequently  a  spiritual  idol.  If  it 
be  true  that  that  is  a  man's  god  which  he  loves  supremely, 
then  is  the  god  of  the  7niser  a  bit  of  metal  produced  in  the 
dust  of  the  earth  j  and  the  god  of  the  voluptuary  is  the  flesh, 
and  the  indulgence  of  its  propensities.  Not  such  the  god  of  the 
proud  7Jtaii.  That  is  begotten  not  of  the  dust,  neither  of  the 
flesh,  but  of  the  spirit  itself.  No  doubt  here,  as  elsewhere, 
much  depends  on  the  kind  of  things  for  which  a  man  values 
himself.  These  may  be  things  which  do  not  pertain  to  his  true 
being,  such  as  his  coat,  his  house,  or  his  estate;  or  they  may 
be  spiritual  things, — either  talents,  which  belong  to  the  head, 
and  when  governed  by  a  dark  heart  are  just  so  many  instru- 
ments of  ruin — or  the  virtuous  qualities,  which  pertain  to  the 
real  kernel  of  human  nature.  Suppose,  then,  that  the  homage 
which  a  man  claims  from  his  fellow-men  is  claimed  for  spiritual 
gifts,  and  exclusively  for  such  of  these  as  are  his  own  enduring 
possession — viz.,  virtues  of  the  heart — what  are  we  to  think? 
It  may  be  very  well  to  say  to  one  who  values  himself  for 
nothing  but  his  clothes,  "  Let  moths  corrupt  them  if  they 
will;"  but  when  that  for  which  he  values  himself  is  of  divine 
nature  and  origin,  is  he  not  entitled  to  claim  for  it  the  homage 
of  his  fellow-men  ?  Let  him  who  attempts  to  make  something 
of  his  nothing,  and  to  pass  off"  his  owl  for  a  falcon,  receive  to 
his  shame  the  ridicule  which  he  deserves.     But  if  a  man  have 


328        53-  Learn  of  Me,  for  I  am  meek  and  lowly. 

a  real  falcoii,  is  he  not  entitled  to  fly  it  off  into  the  air  in  the 
presence  of  all  the  people,  and  to  receive  in  their  exultation  and 
applause  the  tribute  of  honour  which  pertains  to  him  ?  Vaiiity, 
if  it  be  as  the  name  imports — satisfaction  in  that  which  is  e7npty 
2X\^ntdl — will  be  defended  by  no  one.  If,  however,  it  be  satis- 
faction in  things  that  are  really  good,  ought  we  not  then  to  in- 
vite others  to  rejoice  in  them  along  with  us,  in  order  that  in 
the  light  of  their  joy  our  gifts  may  show  their  true  brightness  ? 
Such,  no  doubt,  has  been  the  opinion,  not  merely  of  men  of 
little  but  of  men  of  great  minds.  One  of  these,  whose  doctrine 
— for  reasons  not  difficult  to  understand — appears  to  many  a 
far  more  joyful  message  than  that  which  has  sounded  out  into 
the  world  from  the  foot  of  a  cross,  I  mean  the  poet  Goethe, 
writes  as  follows  :  "  What  is  called  vanity  was  never  offensive 
to  me,  and  I,  on  my  part,  permitted  myself  to  be  vain  in  my 
turn ;  that  is,  I  felt  no  scruple  in  bringing  into  view  the  things 
about  me  with  which  I  was  pleased.  The  word  vanity  is  too 
often  misapplied;  properly,  it  conveys  with  it  the  idea  of 
emptiness,  and  is  fairly  used  only  to  indicate  a  person  who 
cannot  conceal  his  satisfaction  at  his  own  nothingness."  There 
is  no  doubt  that  he  whose  words  these  are  was  a  great  man  \ 
but  it  is  written,  "  Great  men  are  not  always  wise ; "  ^  and 
there  is  some  truth  also  in  the  proverb,  that  "  Great  men's 
folHes  are  never  small."  I  will  therefore  rather  appeal  to  Him 
who  is  supremely  great,  and  who  has  told  us,  "  Let  your  light 
so  shine  before  men  that  they  may  see  your  good  works y  But 
here  I  do  not  read  in  the  clause  subjoined  either  "  that  you  may 
rejoice  over  them,"  or  "  that  you  may  obtain  the  prize  which 
you  deserve."  What  I  read  is,  '"''  And  glorify  your  Father  which 
is  in  heaven^  To  be  sure,  if  we  poor  creatures  possessed  all 
we  have  otherwise  than  in  fee — if  we  had  grown  it  upon  our 
own  soil,  and  contributed  to  it  not  merely  our  strength  and 
labour,  but  likewise  the  sunshine  and  rain  that  fostered  its 
growth,  we  might  then  claim  a  right  to  let  our  good  deeds  shine 
before  men  in  order  to  earn  their  praise.     If,  however,  we  pon- 

1  Job,  xxxii.  9. 


5  3-  Learn  of  Me,  for  I  am  meek  and  lowly.        329 

der  the  question  of  the  apostle :  O  man,  "  what  hast  thou  that 
thou  didst  not  receive  ?  Now  if  thou  didst  receive  it,  why- 
dost  thou  glory  as  if  thou  hadst  not  received  it?" ^ — if  among 
the  things  belonging  to  us,  and  upon  which  we  might  possibly 
congratulate  ourselves,  there  be  not  one  which  does  not  remind 
us  of  the  Giver  of  all  good  gifts,  and  far  oftener  how  shamefully 
these  have  been  abused  by  us,  and  embezzled  and  defaced, — the 
very  last  idea  to  enter  our  minds  must  be  that  of  parading 
them  before  men,  merely  that  they  may  praise  us.  No  :  even 
were  they  to  come,  as  they  once  did  to  Barnabas  and  Saul, 
with  sacrifices  and  garlands,  ought  we  not  then,  like  these 
apostles,  to  be  ready  rather  to  rend  our  clothes  and  cry  out : 
"  Sirs,  why  do  ye  these  things  ?  we  also  are  men  of  like  passions 
with  you.  If  there  be  anything  praiseworthy  about  us,  look  up 
to  those  bright  heights  from  which  every  good  and  perfect  gift 
Cometh  down  as  streams  do  from  the  mountains  to  irrigate  and 
bless  the  plains  below  "  ?  2  Certainly  the  feeling  nearest  the 
heart  of  a  Christian  when  he  observes  anything  good  in  or 
about  himself  is  not  vanity,  but  mere  gratitude.  And  though  it 
may  be  a  good  of  an  inferior  kind — such,  for  example,  as  a  fine 
commanding  figure,  which  captivates  the  beholder  before  the 
mouth  speaks,  or  fluent  speech  and  wit,  or  graceful  and  amiable 
manners  by  which  the  heart  is  enchained;  and  though  all 
others  may  fix  their  eyes  solely  upon  the  poor  instrument 
deemed  worthy  of  so  rich  an  endowment,  still,  if  he  be  a  child 
of  God,  he  will  only  look  up  to  the  heavenly  Father,  and  de- 
sire that  the  due  praise  and  worship  for  having  so  nobly  fur- 
nished and  adorned  one  of  His  human  creatures  should  be 
offered  to  Him  alone.  For  myself,  were  such  homage  offered 
to  me  on  every  side,  far  from  inspiring  exultation,  it  would  only 
make  me  sad.  I  know  too  well  who  the  Superior  is  who  has 
so  liberally  and  generously  provided  for  his  poor  vassal ;  and 
I  know,  too,  that  all  His  gifts  might  have  been  improved  to 
His  honour  and  glory  far  more  faithfully  than  I  have  ever  done. 
No  hoUer  tears  can  be  shed  than  those  which  are  shed  by  him 

1  I  Cor.  iv.  7.  2  Acts,  xiv.  14  et  seq. 


330        53-  Learn  of  Me,  for  I  am  meek  ajid  lowly. 

who  receives  praise  to  which  he  has  no  title.  And  is  not  this  the 
case  wherever  men  squander  upon  His  servants  the  commen- 
dation which  pertains  to  the  Lord  alone.  But  ah  !  how  many 
there  are  who  allow  themselves  to  be  seduced  from  that  which 
is  good  by  the  very  benefits  with  which  heavenly  Love  has 
blessed  them,  and  shut  the  door  of  their  hearts  against  the 
Giver  for  no  better  reason  than  because  they  have  bestowed 
all  their  love  upon  His  gifts — like  the  honeysuckle,  which, 
although  it  owes  its  blossoms  to  the  sunbeams,  excludes  light 
from  the  bower ! 

If  a  man  have  once  yielded  to  seduction  so  far  as  to  accept  as 
rightfully  due  to  himself  the  homage  due  only  to  the  Lord,  how 
ready  he  then  also  becomes  to  forget  the  admonition  addressed 
by  the  apostle  to  every  man,  "  Not  to  think  of  himself  more 
highly  than  he  ought  to  think."  ^  In  such  a  case  we  do  not 
rest  in  the  gifts  we  have  received,  but  take  credit  for  many 
more  which  we  have  not  received,  make  others  little,  that  we 
may  magnify  ourselves,  forget  the  blemishes  and  sores  which 
we  bear  in  our  souls  within,  and  seek  occasions  for  display, 
till  at  last  we  are  not  only  not  contented  to  be  above  all  men, 
but  cannot  tolerate  to  have  others  at  our  side,  and  so  the  usual 
issue  is  that  a  man  comes  to  look  even  upon  God  as  his  enemy. 
Generally,  in  fact,  it  is  in  the  apostasy  of  the  heart  from  God 
that  the  original  root  of  all  pride  and  vanity  is  to  be  sought, 
according  to  the  words  of  Sirach  :  "  The  beginning  of  pride  is 
when  one  departeth  from  God,  and  his  heart  is  turned  away 
from  his  Maker. ^^  ^  I'he  dark  spirit  of  rebellion  proceeds  ever 
further  and  further,  until  the  man  takes  his  seat  in  the  temple 
of  the  Lord,  and  worships  no  God  but  himself  Avarice  turns 
man  into  a  stone  and  lust  into  a  brnte,  but  pride  makes  him  a 
devil;  and  little  progress  has  been  made  in  self-knowledge  by 
him  who  has  never  discovered  in  the  human  breast  the  black 
teeth  of  the  dragon,  from  which  basilisks  like  this  may  spring 
up.  Has  not  heathenism  itself,  in  the  fables  of  Prometheus 
and  the  Titans,  borne  testimony  to  this  fact;  for  what  else 
1  Rom.  xii.  3.  2  Ecclus.  x.  14. 


53-  Learn  of  Me,  for  I  am  meek  and  lowly.        331 

were  these  designed  to  teach,  save  that  a  dark  and  blind  spirit 
dwells  in  man  which  will  worship  none  but  itself,  and  is  never 
content  until  it  has  wrested  the  sceptre  from  the  hand  of 
Omnipotence  in  heaven  ? 

Humility !  humility !  thou  noblest  and  most  difficult  of  all 
human  virtues,  in  what  school  can  we  learn  thee  ?  Certainly 
in  none  but  His  who  has  said,  "  Take  my  yoke  upon  you  and 
learn  of  me,  for  I  am  meek  and  lowly  of  heart." ^  There  are 
many  vices  over  which  a  man  may  become  master  without 
religion,  and  mainly  by  the  help  of  pride,  as  when  lions  are 
used  to  subdue  hyenas.  But  pride,  with  all  its  kindred  brood 
of  vanity,  arrogance,  and  self-conceit,  no  man  can  effectually 
overcome  without  religion,  or  otherwise  than  by  the  spirit  of 
Jesus  Christ.  Until  he  has  been  brought  to  bow  the  knee 
before  the  Father  of  lights,  as  the  giver  of  every  good  and 
perfect  gift,  he  will  bend  it  only  before  himself,  and  will  con- 
tinually look  upon  all  he  possesses  as  Nebuchadnezzar  did 
upon  Babylon,  saying,  "  Is  not  this  great  Babylon,  that  I  have 
built  by  the  might  of  my  power,  and  for  the  honour  of  my 
majesty  ?" 2  It  is  in  this  manner  that  piety,  by  making  us  feel 
that  we  possess  not  one  single  advantage  which  we  can  call  our 
owji,  but  are  dependent  and  helpless  creatures,  who  need  to 
receive  from  a  stranger's  hand  our  spiritual,  like  our  bodily 
food,  generally  leads  us  to  humility  before  God;  and  not  until 
we  have  become  humble  before  Him  can  we  ever  become 
humble  before  vien.  But  how  much  better  is  this  lesson 
learned  in  the  school  of  Christ  ?  There  we  are  tutored  into 
poverty  of  spirit;  there  we  are  led  to  see  that  we  are  not 
merely  de_pe?ident  and  helpless,  but  wicked  diYid  perverse,  children 
of  the  heavenly  Father,  who  in  justice  deserve  nothing  but  to 
be  rejected,  but  to  whom,  nevertheless,  He  stretches  out  His 
paternal  arms.  There,  too,  we  behold  the  only-begotten  Son 
of  the  Father,  Himself  bereft  of  His  radiant  crown,  and  walk- 
ing about  among  the  sick  and  wretched,  as  one  who  came  into 
the  world  for  nothing  but  to  "  minister."^  How  can  any  one 
1  Matt,  xi.  29.  2  Dan.  iv.  30.  ^  Matt.  xx.  28. 


332        53-  Learn  of  Me,  for  I  am  meek  and  lowly. 

who  in  this  school  has  heard  of  the  ten  thousand  talents  which 
he  owed  to  the  King  of  kings,  and  of  the  free  and  gracious 
remission  to  him  of  the  debt,  ever  possibly  lay  hands  upon  a 
fellow-servant  who  owes  him  a  hundred  pence,  and  insist  on 
being  paid?  How  can  he  possibly  be  jealous  and  despise 
others,  or  aspire  to  sit  above  them?^  Nothing  is  so  well 
calculated  to  promote  humility  as  the  knowledge  of  our  guilt 
in  the  sight  of  God;  and  often  when  I  see  this  one  or  that 
proudly  vaunting  himself,  and  sitting  in  judgment  upon  his 
neighbour,  I  would  fain  take  him  by  the  arm  and  say,  "  Friend, 
remember  the  ten  thousa?id talents"  It  is  quite  true  that  " life 
and  death  are  in  the  power  of  the  tongue  ;"2  but  the  tongue 
in  its  turn  is  in  the  power  either  of  a  proud  heart  or  of  one 
which  grace  has  made  humble  ;  for  the  tongue  is  only  the 
heart's  interpreter.  Why  do  people  preach  so  much  against 
backbiting,  evil-speaking,  and  judging  others?  Can  anything 
else  proceed  out  of  the  mouth  but  that  which  springs  in  the 
heart  ?  and  there,  so  deeply  rooted  is  the  desire  to  lower  others 
in  order  to  raise  ourselves,  that  the  evil  admits  of  no  remedy, 
until  in  the  school  of  Jesus  we  have  thoroughly  learned  the 
meaning  of  the  word  Grace. 

And  even  after  grace  has  driven  self-conceit  from  the  heart, 
how  easily  and  unobservedly  it  can  steal  back,  unless  we  do 
our  utmost  to  stand  upon  our  guard !  for  certain  there  is  no 
sin  which  so  insensibly  entangles  us  afresh  in  its  snare  as  pride. 
An  Eastern  poet  says — 

"  Seest  thou  the  black  foot  of  the  ant,  when  at  the  dead  of  night 
It  o'er  the  dark  stone  silently  speeds  its  mysterious  flight  ? 
Yet  harder  far  I  ween  oi pride  the  stealthy  steps  to  trace, 
When  in  the  bosom  of  the  saint  it  seeks  its  long-lost  place." 

We  need  do  nothing  but  begin  compari7ig  onrsQlvt?,  with  others, 
and  pride  instantly  makes  its  appearance  afresh.  The  apostle 
says,  "  Let  every  man  prove  his  own  work,  and  then  shall  he 
have  rejoicing  in  himself  alone,  and  not  in  another;  for  every 
man  shall  bear  his  own  burden."^     If  he  cease  for  a  moment 

1  Matt,  xviii.  23.  -  Prov.  xviii.  21.  ^  Gal.  vi.  4,  5. 


53-  Learn  of  Me,  for  I  am  meek  and  lowly.         333 

to  direct  his  view  simply  and  straightly  to  his  own  work  and 
burden,  self-conceit  immediately  recurs.  There  can  be  no 
doubt  that  the  reason  why  our  Saviour  was  so  fond  of  children 
was,  that  they  are  without  self-conceit.  When  His  disciples 
inquired  which  of  them  would  be  greatest  in  the  kingdom  of 
heaven.  He  called  a  little  child  unto  Him,  and  set  him  in  the 
midst  of  them,  and  said  :  ''  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  Except  ye 
be  converted,  and  become  as  Httle  children,  ye  shall  not  enter 
into  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  Whosoever,  therefore,  shall 
humble  himself  as  this  little  child,  the  same  is  greatest  in  the 
kingdom  of  heaven.  "^  The  child  does  not  compare,  exercises 
little  reflection,  looks  neither  to  the  right  nor  left,  and  the  son 
of  a  king  will  play  with  a  beggar's  boy  without  thinking  of  his 
dignity  at  all.  Now  the  longer  a  man  frequents  the  school  of 
Jesus,  the  more  he  learns  to  keep  in  his  own  path,  to  commit 
to  the  Lord,  whose  servants  they  are,  the  task  of  pronouncing 
judgment  upon  others,  to  abstain  from  all  comparisons,  and  to 
go  with  his  burden  to  the  Lord  in  prayer.  How  beautiful  it 
is  to  see  true  Christian  humility  gladdening  the  eyes  of  all 
others,  but  unconscious  of  its  own  brightness  1  In  fact,  what 
lovelier  spectacle  can  be  presented  to  the  view  of  men  or 
angels  than  a  disciple  of  Jesus  ever  employed  in  covering  the 
glowing  embers  of  charity  beneath  the  ashes  of  self-abasement .? 
We  read  that  when  Moses  came  down  from  the  presence  of 
the  Lord  the  skin  of  his  face  shone,  "  but  he  wist  not  of  it'"^ 
And  is  not  this  written  for  an  ensample  to  us  all  ?  In  Hke 
manner  the  blessed  apostle  was  not  looking  to  the  right  or 
the  left  when  he  made  the  confession  :  "  This  is  a  faithful  say- 
ing, and  worthy  of  all  acceptation,  that  Jesus  Christ  came  into 
the  world  to  save  sinners,  of  w/iofu  I  am  the  chief r^  And  so 
it  always  is  with  him  w^ho  abstains  from  comparing  himself 
with  others  \  in  his  own  eyes  he  is  ever  the  worst.  For  cer- 
tain St  Paul  never  once  looked  either  up  or  down  the  bench 
of  penitents  to  see  whether  Zaccheus  or  the  Magdalene  or 
the  crucified  thief  were  seated  below  him.      He  looked  no 

Matt,  xviii.  3,  4.  2  Exod.  xxxiv.  29.  3  i  Tim.  i.  15. 


334        53-  Learn  of  Me,  for  I  am  meek  and  lowly: 

where  but  at  his  own  account,  and  that  was  the  reason  he  ap- 
peared to  himself  so  little  and  so  vile.  To  the  same  effect  he 
writes,  "  Let  nothing  be  done  through  strife  or  vainglory ;  but 
in  lowliness  of  mind  let  each  esteem  other  better  than  themselves'^ 
It  might  be  supposed  that  here  too  much  is  required,  in  respect 
that  to  esteem  eveiy  other  better  than  one's  self  is  simply  im- 
possible. In  my  opinion,  however,  all  that  the  apostle  in- 
tended was,  that  he  who  proposes  to  sweep  his  own  front 
clean  will  need  all  his  brooms  for  the  purpose,  and  will  have 
no  leisure  for  large  observation  of  the  broken  pots  which  may 
possibly  be  lying  behind  a  neighbour's  door ;  and  it  is  only 
what  we  observe  that  we  pass  judgment  upon.  In  this  man- 
ner humility  is  the  source  of  charity,  which,  until  unavoidably 
forced  to  the  contrary,  "  beareth  all  things,  believeth  all 
things,  hopeth  all  things,  endureth  all  things."^ 

And  yet  Christian  humility  will  not  throw  herself  away,  and 
never  appear  but  in  the  guise  of  a  miserable  sinner ;  because 
He,  in  whose  school  we  have  all  been  made  miserable  si7iners, 
has.  likewise  made  us  children  of  God, — in  the  exercise  of  free 
grace  no  doubt,  and  not  for  the  merit  of  our  works,  that  no 
flesh  may  boast.  Christian  humility  will  not  throw  itself  away 
because  occasions  may  come  which  require  a  Christian  to 
avouch  and  vindicate  both  what  and  how  much  grace  has  been 
bestowed  upon  him.  Not  in  vain  has  it  been  recorded  that  St 
Paul  asserted  his  right  to  the  privileges  of  a  Roman  citizen ;  ^ 
and  as  members  of  Christ  and  subjects  of  His  kingdom,  we 
also  have  rights  and  prerogatives.  Generally,  indeed,  the 
humble  disciple  of  Jesus  walks  through  Hfe  with  a  bent  rather 
than  with  an  uplifted  head,  like  a  tree  loaded  with  fruit.  When 
the  occasion  emerges,  however,  he  too  can  hold  his  head  up 
like  others.  He  does  not,  indeed,  either  say  or  sing  much 
about  the  gifts  and  graces  which  he  has  received,  just  as  full 
vessels  differ  from  empty  ones  by  the  feebler  sound  which  they 
emit.  But  where  the  case  calls  for  it,  he  also  can  cheerfully 
sing  and  play,  not  indeed  to  his  oivn,  but  to  his  Master's  glory. 
1  I  Cor.  xiii.  7.  2  Acts,  xxii.  28. 


53-  Learn  of  Me,  for  I  am  meek  a7id  lowly.        335 

Under  the  purifying  influence  of  the  Spirit  of  Christ,  we  reach 
a  point  at  which,  in  childUke  simplicity,  we  can  be  conscious 
of,  and  are  able  also,  if  need  be,  to  assert,  the  gifts  we  have 
received.  A  Christian  may  advance  so  far  as,  totally  irre- 
spective of  hiinself  to  defend  his  honour,  office,  good  name, 
and  right  of  adoption,  solely  as  a  good  conferred  upon  him  by 
the  Lord.  No  doubt  this  is  a  difficult,  a  very  difficult  attain- 
ment. It  is  perhaps  the  last  and  loftiest  stage  to  which  the 
Spirit  of  the  Lord  elevates  a  believer  when  he  can  contend  for 
what  he  possesses  in  such  a  way  as  to  be  really  contending 
for  his  Lord.  There  are,  however,  some — nay,  many — who 
in  the  school  of  Jesus  have  learned  this  art.  Of  Thee,  there- 
fore, O  Lord,  I  now  implore  to  take  me  also  more  and  more 
into  Thy  school.  I  must  confess,  to  Thine  honour,  that  Thy 
Spirit  has  made  a  new  man  of  me.  I  have  learned  humility. 
I  am  conscious  of  being  humbled — humbled  like  the  grain  of 
dust  at  my  feet ;  and  I  have  also  been  humbled  in  the  sight 
of  others.  I  judge  no  one.  I  know  that  all  I  have  is  of  grace, 
and  that  for  what  I  lack  I  deserve  Thy  wrath,  and  it  is  for 
that  reason  I  judge  no  one.  In  spite  of  all  this,  however, 
there  do  come  times  in  which  I  permit  myself  to  fancy  that  I 
am  something,  and  when  I  feel  that  it  is  very  hard  to  minister. 
Take  me  then,  O  Jesus,  who  wert  Thyself  so  humble,  into 
Thy  school.  In  truth  I  would  fain  learn  to  minister,  and  learn 
it  from  Thy  example.  Thou  knowest  how  much  I  hate  myself 
— hate  my  vain  and  haughty  heart,  which  can  still  so  shame- 
fully and  slavishly  satiate  itself  with  human  praise.  Take  me 
into  Thy  school,  my  Saviour  and  my  Lord,  and  help  me  to 
become  humble. 

Lord,  like  the  sun  without  its  crown 

Of  rays,  didst  Thou  to  earth  come  down, 

And  walk  in  lowliness  ; 
And  that  the  timid  might  not  fear, 
Didst  hide  Thy  majesty  while  here 

Beneath  a  servile  dress. 
Lord,  in  Thy  school  I  fain  would  be, 
To  learn  humility  of  Thee, 


336        54-  Learn  of  Me,  for  I  am  meek  and  lowly. 

O  mild  and  holy  Light, 
Beam  on  my  inward  sight, - 
Show  me  my  littleness  aright. 

Lo,  in  an  equal  line  we  see 

Thy  saints  of  high  and  low  degree 

Advancing  to  the  throne. 
'Mong  them  no  pride  and  strife  appear ; 
One  king  they  own,  one  badge  they  wear  ; 

Their  king  is  David's  Son. 
Zaccheus  and  the  thief  between. 
Walks,  all  in  tears,  the  Magdalene, 

And  next  to  them  St  John ; 
And  all  receive  the  great  reward 
Of  absolution  from  the  Lord, 


54. 

iLcarn  of  fHe,  for  E  am  meek  anb  lotolg. 

Wrath  is  so  grim  and  wild  aflame, 
Who  doubts  that  from  helVs  pit  it  came  f 
And  I  with  it  all  league  disclai7n. 

My  son,  at  com7non  fire  you  take  alarm, 
But  if  it  BURN  ON  ALTARS,  dread  no  harm  : 
Drop,  tlien,  the  Master's  spirit  on  tlmie  ire, 
And  with  THAT  INCENSE  consecrate  the  fire. 

Matt.  v.  5.  "  Blessed  are  the  meek  :  for  they  shall  inherit 
the  earth." 

Matt.  xi.  29.  "  Take  my  yoke  upon  you,  and  learn  of  me ; 
for  I  am  meek  and  lowly  in  heart :  and  ye  shall  find  rest 
unto  your  souls." 

Titus,  iii.  2-5.  "  To  speak  evil  of  no  man,  to  be  no  brawl- 
ers, but  gentle,  showing  all  meekness  unto  all  men.  For 
we  ourselves  also  were  sometimes  foolish,  disobedient, 
deceived,  serving  divers  lusts  and  pleasures,  living  in 
malice  and  envy,  hateful,  and  hating  one  another.     But 


54-  Leant  of  Me^for  I  am  meek  and  lowly.        337 

after  that  the  kindness  and  love  of  God  our  Saviour  to- 
ward man  appeared,  not  by  works  of  righteousness  which 
we  have  done,  but  according  to  His  mercy  He  saved  us, 
by  the  washing  of  regeneration,  and  renewing  of  the  Holy 
Ghost." 

SACRED  in  the  view  of  every  Christian  soul  stands  the 
image  of  the  Saviour's  meekness.  How  often  has  it 
caused  the  towering  waves  raised  by  the  storms  of  passion  in 
the  hearts  of  men  to  subside  !  How  often  have  the  arms  that 
were  lifted  up  in  anger  dropped  at  the  sight  of  it !  If  there  be 
any  virtue  which  men  generally  expect  to  find  in  a  disciple  of 
the  Lord,  it  is  meekness.  Like  humility  and  charity,  it  is 
looked  upon  as  a  peculiarly  Christian  grace.  Humility  and 
meekness  are  twin  sisters,  and  grow  like  buds  on  the  common 
stalk  of  charity.  "  For,"  saith  the  apostle,  "  charity  suffereth 
long,  and  is  kind,"  and,  consequently,  is  likewise  humble  and 
meek.  Not  only  did  the  Saviour  and  His  apostles  frequently 
inculcate  meekness  by  word  of  mouth — He  did  it  much  more 
forcibly  by  His  actions  and  His  sufferings.  There  is  so  great 
kindness  and  benignity,  gentleness,  and  condescension,  in  His 
whole  demeanour,  that  even  if  we  had  not  been  told,  we  might 
at  once  have  divined  that,  according  to  His  own  affirmation, 
"  God  sent  not  His  Son  into  the  world  to  condemn  the  world, 
but  that  the  world  through  Him  might  be  saved''  ^  And,  in 
truth,  he  who  proposes  to  save  the  world  can  come  to  it  in 
no  other  garb  save  that  of  meekness  and  gentleness.  And 
what  is  there  that  preaches  this  virtue  so  loudly  as  the  cross  ? 
A  crucifix  appears  a  very  simple  object,  and  yet  it  may  well 
be  doubted  whether  these  crucifixes  have  not  done  more  to 
spread  the  Gospel  than  multitudes  of  preachers.  For  myself, 
I  cannot  look  upon  one  but  a  wondrous  throng  of  devout  and 
holy  thoughts  rush  through  my  heart :  and  what  a  crucifix 
preaches  most  of  all  is  meekness  and  patient  obedience,  so 
that  one  might  imagine  that,  with  a  cross  before  his  eyes, 

1  John,  iii.  17. 
Y 


338        54-  Learn  of  Me,  for  I  am  meek  and  lowly. 

or  a  picture  of  Him  who  suffered  upon  it,  it  would  be  impos- 
sible for  a  Christian  to  utter  a  harsh  or  an  injurious  word. 
A  gentle  and  meek  spirit  is  one  of  the  highest  and  holiest 
virtues  with  which  a  Christian  can  be  endowed  ;  nor  is  it,  as 
many  suppose,  by  any  means  a  fefninine  virtue.  On  the  con- 
trary, when  rightly  understood,  it  is  rather  a  strong,  masculine, 
and  heroic  virtue.  According  to  the  words  of  Solomon  :  "  He 
that  is  slow  to  anger  is  better  than  the  mighty ;  and  he  that 
ruleth  his  spirit,  than  he  that  taketh  a  city."  ^  It  requires 
greater  strength  of  soul  to  endure  aright  protracted  suftering, 
than  to  achieve  some  arduous  enterprise  of  faith.  For  the  latter, 
all  that  is  needed  is  to  collect  the  energies  for  a  moment,  and 
under  circumstances  that  excite  to  action ;  whereas,  for  the 
former,  as  great  a  force  of  faith  and  submission  must  be 
opposed  to  suffering,  and  this  must  be  done  for  years,  and 
repeated  every  moment,  without  any  stimulus  from  without. 

Meekness  and  patience  are  virtues  of  a  noble  class,  and  no 
one  knows  so  well  as  I  myself  how  much  I  need  the  daily 
teaching  of  the  meek  and  patient  Saviour,  that  in  this  way 
also  I  may  learn  to  tread  in  His  footsteps.  At  the  same  time, 
with  all  my  heart  I  hate  that  kind  of  meekness  which  cannot 
be  angjy  whcft  there  is  a  Just  cause  for  anger.  Such  meekness, 
I  know,  does  not  spring  from  a  divine  root.  No  doubt  it  is 
written,  "  The  wrath  of  man  worketh  not  the  righteousness  of 
God ; "  ^  and  elsewhere  we  are  admonished  not  to  let  the  sun 
go  down  upon  our  wrath.^  The  proverb  also  says  that  "  he 
who  controls  his  anger  conquers  an  enemy ; "  but,  neverthe- 
less, anger  does  not  always  come  from  the  wicked  one.  The 
Holy  One  of  Israel  is  said  "to  roar  like  a  lion"^  in  His 
wrath;  and  there  is  also  a  wrath  of  the  Lamb,  before  which 
the  men  of  the  world  will  tremble,  and  call  to  the  mountains 
and  rocks,  "  Fall  on  us,  and  hide  us  from  the  face  of  Him  that 
sitteth  on  the  throne,  and  from  the  wrath  of  the  Lamb^^  ^  so  ter- 
rible will  be  the  anger  of  the  Saviour  when  He  appears  in  His 

1  Prov.  xvi.  32.  2  James,  i.  20.  ^  Eph.  iv.  26. 

^  Hos.  xi.  10.  ^  Rev.  vi.  16, 


54-  Learn  of  Me,  for  I  am  vieek  and  loiuly.        339 

kingly  office.  He  was  also,  however,  angry,  when  in  His 
humiliation  He  sojourned  among  men  ;  for  it  is  written,  "  He 
looked  round  about  on  them  with  ajiger,  being  grieved  for  the 
hardness  of  their  hearts."  ^  Was  He  not  angry  when  He  plaited 
a  scourge  of  cords  and  drove  out  those  who  had  made  His 
Father's  house  a  den  of  thieves  ?  Was  He  not  angry  when 
eight  times  in  succession  He  pronounced  a  woe  upon  the 
hypocritical  scribes  who  garnished  the  sepulchres  of  the 
righteous,  and  at  the  same  time  put  righteous  men  to  death  ? 
and  again,  when  He  said  to  them,  "Ye  serpents,  ye  genera- 
tion of  vipers,  how  can  ye  escape  the  damnation  of  hell  ?  "  ^ 
Besides,  can  any  one  love  the  Lord  God  with  all  his  heart 
who  does  not  hate  those  that  hate  Hi7n,  according  to  the 
ancient  boast  of  the  Psalmist :  "  Do  not  I  hate  them,  O  Lord, 
who  hate  Thee  ?  and  am  not  I  grieved  with  those  that  rise  up 
against  Thee?  I  hate  them  with  perfect  hatred"?^  In  my 
opinion,  righteous  anger  is  nothing  but  abhorrence  of  evil 
carried  into  action,  and  conscious  of  the  grounds  on  which  it 
rests. 

And  it  is  only  when  I  reflect  upon  what  righteous  anger  is, 
that  I  clearly  see  how  greatly  I  sin  in  this  way.  We  are 
angry,  but  in  our  anger  what  we  look  to  is  not  the  cause  of 
God,  not  His  eternal  law  and  truth,  but  ourselves.  For  the 
most  part,  human  anger  flows  not  from  hatred  of  that  which  is 
evil,  but  from  love  of  self  The  consequence  is,  w^e  do  not 
know  why  we  are  angry,  and  therefore  the  proverb  says  with 
truth  that  anger  is  blind.  It  bewilders  the  head,  and  hence  is 
always  followed  by  repentance,  of  which  it  is  said  that  "  where 
wrath  ends  repentance  begins."  Holy  anger,  however,  is  well 
aware  of  its  own  reasons ;  for  just  as  in  his  love,  so  likewise  in 
his  anger,  does  the  Christian  take  his  God  and  Saviour  as  a 
pattern.  All  that  can  be  done  by  love  he  Ao^^,  patiently  waits 
where  there  is  the  hope  of  repentance,  and  does  not  suff"er  the 
flame  of  indignation  to  blaze  until  the  measure  of  iniquity  is 
full.     Even  when  compelled  to  smite,  he  imitates   his  God, 

1  Mark,  iii.  5.  2  Matt,  xxiii.  33.  '^  Psalm  cxxxix.  21,  22. 


340         54-  Learn  of  Me,  for  I  am  meek  and  lowly. 

who  avers :  "In  my  wrath  I  smote  thee,  but  in  my  favour 
have  I  had  mercy  on  thee."^ 

Hence,  when  the  Holy  Scriptures  so  sharply  forbid  anger,  a 
distinction  must  needs  be  drawn,  because  in  these  cases  the 
anger  is  of  the  kind  spoken  of  by  the  Lord  when  He  says, 
"  Whosoever  is  angry  with  his  brother  without  a  cause  shall 
be  in  danger  of  the  judgment."^  And  what  kind  of  anger 
that  is,  not  obscurely  appears  when  he  describes  it  as  a  trans- 
gression of  the  commandment.  Thou  shalt  not  kill ;  for  this 
clearly  intimates  that  he  refers  to  an  anger  which  has  already, 
so  to  speak,  begun  to  kill  in  the  heart,  and  is  seeking  revenge 
solely  in  its  own  behalf,  and  not  from  a  regard  to  God,  or  in 
order  that  righteousness  and  equity  may  be  established  on  the 
earth,  and  a  wall  of  defence  raised  against  the  transgressor. 

What  would  have  become  of  the  Church  if  the  Lord's 
servants  and  prophets  had  at  all  times  done  nothing  else  but 
spread  salves  upon  sores  and  walk  softly  ?  In  selecting  instru- 
ments for  His  work,  has  He  not  always  preferred  those  who 
had  fortitude  enough  to  feel  a  just  and  noble  indignation  at 
the  ungodliness  of  the  world?  Take,  for  example,  our  own 
Luther.  No  doubt  he  often  carried  his  wrath  somewhat  too 
far  and  cried  too  loud,  of  which  he  never  failed  humbly  to 
repent ;  still,  upon  the  whole^  he  showed  great  boldness  and 
confidence  that  he  was  right  in  the  indignation  with  which  he 
combated  the  enemies  of  the  Gospel.  On  one  occasion,  when 
asked  by  the  Margrave  Joachimj,  2d,  Why  he  wrote  against 
the  princes  ?  he  returned  the  beautiful  answer  :  "  When  God 
intends  to  fertilise  the  ground  He  must  needs  send  first  of 
all  a  good  thunder-storm,  and  afterwards  a  slow  and  gentle 
rain,  and  thus  make  it  thoroughly  productive."  Elsewhere  he 
says,  "  A  willow  branch  may  be  cut  with  a  knife  and  bent  with 
a  finger,  but  for  a  great  and  gnarled  oak  we  must  use  an  axe 
and  a  wedge  ; "  and  again,  "  If  my  teeth  had  been  less  sharpy 
the  Pope  would  have  been  more  voracious.'''  "  Of  what  use  is 
salt,"  he  exclaims,  in  another  passage,  "  if  it  do  not  bite  the 
1  Isa.  Ix.  10.  ^  Matt.  v.  22. 


54-  Learn  ofMe,foj'  I  am  meek  and  loivly.        341 

tongue  ?  or  the  blade  of  a  sword,  unless  it  be  sharp  enough  to 
cut  ?  "     Does  not  the  prophet  say,  "  Cursed  be  he  that  doeth 
the  work  of  the  Lord  deceitfully,  and  keepeth  back  his  sword 
from  blood  "  ?     In  all  this,  accordingly,  the  humble  -  minded 
man  was  conscious  that  he  was  doing  what  in  the  sight  of  God 
he  had  a  right  to  do.     At  the  same  time,  however,  he  had  no 
desire  to  infringe  the  right  of  other  good  Christians  by  insist- 
ing that  they  should  do  the  same ;  and  heartily  loved,  and 
often  wished  to  resemble,  his  friend  Philip  Melanchthon,  who 
was  of  a  gentler  disposition.     And  to  Brentius,  another  of  his 
friends,  he  wrote  these  kind  and  beautiful  words  :  "  It  is  not 
thyself,  Brentius,  whom  I  praise,  but  the  spirit  which  is   in 
thee,  and  which  is  far  more  gentle,  affectionate,  and  peaceable 
than  7niiie^  and,  moreover,  is  adorned  with  all  the  arts  of  elo- 
quence.    Hence  it  is  that  thy  discourse  flows  forth  purer  and 
clearer  and  more  intelligible  than  that  of  other  men,  and  con- 
sequently is   better  liked,  and  goes  deeper   into  the  heart. 
Whereas  my  spirit,  besides  being  inexperienced  in  the  liberal 
arts  and  destitute  of  refinement,  does  nothing  but  belch  forth 
a  vast  forest  and  host  of  words,  and  thereby  its  fate  is  to  be 
more  uproarious  and  stormy.     It  is  combative  and  must  always 
be  fighting  with   wild  and  monstrous  beasts.      To  compare 
small  things  with  great :   '■  Of  the  fourfold  spirit  of  Elias}  I 
have  received  the  wind  and  the- earthquake  and  the  fire ^  which  7'ent 
the  mountains  and  brake  in  pieces  the  rocks  ;'  whereas  thou,  and 
they  who  are  like  thee,  have  received  '  the  rustling  breeze,  so 
soft  and  gentle^  and  cooling.     And  that  is  the  reason  why  I, 
not  to  speak  of  others,  take  so  much  pleasure  in  thy  writings 
and  conversation.     I  console  myself,  however,  with  the  belief, 
or  rather  the  knowledge,  that  God,  who  is  the  great  Head  of 
the  heavenly  family,  requires  for  the  service  of  His  vast  house- 
hold a  few  at  least  who  can  be  harsh  to  the  harsh  and  stern 
to  the  stern."     But  however  harshly  the  good  man  may  have 
comported  himself  in  his  writings,  no  reader,  especially  of  his 
letters,  can  fail  to  see  that  he  could  be  above  all  measure 

1  I  Kings,  xix. 


342         54-  Learn  of  Mc,  for  I  am  meek  and  lowly. 

gentle  and  affectionate.  Old  Master  Mathesius,  who  for  many 
years  sat  at  his  table,  and  had  daily  intercourse  with  him,  bears 
this  testimony  :  "  He  was  sharp  with  those  who  were  sharp, 
and  bore  himself  towards  others  as  they  did  towards  him ;  but 
any  who  were  about  him,  and  had  the  benefit  of  his  consola- 
tions, kind  offices,  and  prayers,  can  testify  with  truth  that  his 
was  a  gentle  and  modest  spirit." 

How  difficult  it  is  for  the  children  of  men  to  keep  in  the 
right  track  !  If  in  ten  instances  they  have  gone  to  excess  with 
their  noise  and  bluster,  their  threatenings  and  abuse,  they  try 
to  do  better  in  the  eleventh  by  holding  their  peace  like  dumb 
dogs  when  they  ought  to  speak  out — calling  what  is  black 
white,  and  practising  generosity  at  the  expense  of  God.  It  is 
true,  as  Luther  has  said,  that  "  the  world  is  like  a  thistle-head, 
which  always  points  its  prickles  up  on  whatever  side  you 
choose  to  turn  it."  How  earnest,  therefore,  ought  to  be  the 
prayer  of  the  sincere  disciple,  that  the  Lord  Jesus  would  be 
pleased  to  take  him  into  His  school  and  teach  him  the  right 
time  when  to  speak  and  when  to  keep  silence,  when  to  be 
angry  and  when  to  show  affection,  when  to  strive  and  when 
to  forbear  !  Oh  how  greatly  I  wish  not  to  be  numbered 
among  those  who,  for  the  sake  of  being  friends  with  the  world, 
become  enemies  to  God,  and  in  place  of  prosecuting  His  holy 
wars  prefer  false  peace,  and  tarry  at  home  with  wife  and  child  ! 
Fain  would  I,  were  it  but  the  Lord's  will,  attach  myself  as  the 
last  and  humblest  member  to  that  holy  train  of  prophets  and 
martyrs  who  "  esteemed  the  reproach  of  Christ  greater  riches 
than  the  treasures  of  the  world."  ^  Bitterly  did  men  hate  and 
persecute  our  Lord,  though  He  was  the  all-perfect  pattern  of 
wisdom,  gentleness,  and  modesty ;  and  I  know  that  if  I  con- 
fess His  name  before  them,  the  disciple  in  this  respect  also 
will  not  be  above  his  Master.  At  the  same  time,  I  would 
fain  keep  in  mind  the  injunction  of  the  apostle  :  "  See  that  ye 
walk  circumspectly^  not  as  fools  but  as  wise,"  ^  ''  especially 
towards  them  that  are  without."  ^     And  again,  "  If  it  be  pos- 

1  Heb.  xi.  26  ;  xii.  i.  ^  y.^\^.  v.  15.  3  Col.  iv.  5. 


54-  Learn  of  Me,  for  I  am  meek  and  lowly.        343 

sible,  as  much  as  lieth  in  you,  live  peaceably  with  all  men."  ^ 
And  once  more,  "  Let  your  moderation  be  known  unto  all 
men."  ^  Moreover,  I  know  that  the  beatitude,  "  Blessed  are 
ye  when  men  shall  revile  you  and  persecute  you,  and  shall 
say  all  manner  of  evil  against  you,"  has  the  word  ^^ falsely  "  for 
its  adjunct.  I  desire,  therefore,  with  my  whole  heart  to  possess 
that  spirit  of  peace,  gentleness,  and  meekness  which  likes  a 
thousand  times  better  to  bless  than  to  punish.  I  know  the 
stormy  impatience  of  my  heart.  I  know  how  difficult  a  task 
it  is  for  me  to  sympathise  with  the  foibles  of  my  brethren  as  if 
they  were  my  own,  and  how  the  flesh  often  deludes  us  into  the 
belief  that  we  are  contending  for  God  when  we  are  thinking 
only  of  ourselves.  How,  then,  shall  I  attain  to  such  a  right, 
meek,  and  gentle  spirit  ?  How  shall  I  acquire  the  calm  com- 
posure from  which  no  action  emanates  which  has  not  been 
proved  by  the  eye  of  God,  and  upon  which  the  divine  amen 
has  not  imprinted  its  seal  ?  In  my  opinion,  the  most  effectual 
means  is  to  allow  the  Holy  Spirit  to  write  every  morning  afresh 
upon  the  heart  the  words,  "  By  grace  are  ye  saved,  and  that  not 
of  yourselves"  ^ 

If  gentle  grace  have  touched  the  heart, 

It  bids  the  passions  cease, 
Bids  the  foul  brood  of  wrath  depart, 

And  tunes  the  mind  to  peace. 

For  He  who  healed  men's  feud  with  heaven, 

And  bought  my  pardon  too. 
Has  made  the  debt  to  me  forgiven. 

By  me  to  others  due. 

And  now,  however  vile  they  be, 

I  own  myjlesh  and  blood, 
And  for  the  guiltiest  whom  I  see 

Count  not  myself  too  good. 

Tender  and  soft  my  heart  has  grown, 

Patient  and  kind  to  all ; 
The  rays  from  the  bright  model  thrown 

Upon  the  copy  fall. 


1  Rom.  xii.  i8.  2  p^il.  iv.  5.  3  Eph.  ii,  8  ;  Matt,  xviii.  23-35. 


344  55-  Pitt  away  Lying,  and  speak  Truth. 

And  so,  as  if  all  war  were  o'er, 

I  gladly  sheathe  the  sword, 
Determined  ne'er  to  draw  it  more 

Save  at  Thy  bidding.  Lord. 

And  for  this  reason,  O  heavenly  Father,  grant  that  when  in  the 
presence  of  an  adversary  I  may  never  forget  the  magnitude  of 
the  debt  which  Thou  hast  mercifully  remitted  to  me.  On  my 
own  part  I  must  forgive  all,  forget  all,  and  endure  all  at  his 
hands.  Only  when  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart  I  am  pre- 
pared to  say  that  I  have  no  longer  an  enemy  upon  the  earth — 
only  then,  O  my  God  and  Father,  am  I  worthy  to  bear  arms 
in  Thy  wars — only  then  am  I  capable  of  fighting  with  a  truly 
holy  zeal.  Yes  :  the  flesh  will  often  deceive  me  into  the  belief 
that  I  am  wielding  the  sword  for  Thy  honour  when  I  am  doing 
it  solely  for  my  own ;  and  I  know  that  soldiers  who  fight  with 
a  zeal  so  impure  do  more  harm  than  good  to  Thy  cause. 
Enlighten,  therefore,  mine  eye,  that  I  may  always  be  able  to 
distinguish  in  my  bosom  the  fire  that  burns  for  Thee  from  that 
which  burns  for  myself. 


55. 

Oh  no  !  I  WOULD  NOT  TELL  A  LIE, 

Though  one  false  word  the  world  could  gain  ; 
Fleeting  ajtd  false  all  gains  that  I 
On  other  ways  than  God' s obtain. 

God  cannot  lie,  and  therefore  if 

A  lie  for  me  a  crown  could  win, 
Or  save  from  instant  death  my  life, 

I  WOULD  NOT  STOOP  TO  SUCH  A  SIN. 

Psalm  xv.  i,  2.    "  Lord,  who  shall  abide  in  Thy  tabernacle 
who  shall  dwell  in  Thy  holy  hill  ?     He  that  walketh  up- 


55-  P tit  away  Lying,  and  speak  Truth.  345 

rightly,  and  worketh  righteousness,  and  speaketh  the  truth 
in  his  heart." 

Eph.  iv.  25.  "Wherefore,  putting  away  lying,  speak  every 
man  truth  with  his  neighbour  :  for  we  are  members  one 
of  another." 

Acts,  v.  t-ii.  "But  a  certain  man  named  Ananias,  with 
Sapphira  his  wife,  sold  a  possession,  and  kept  back  part 
of  the  price,  his  wife  also  being  privy  to  it,  and  brought 
a  certain  part,  and  laid  it  at  the  apostles'  feet.  But  Peter 
said,  Ananias,  why  hath  Satan  filled  thine  heart  to  lie  to 
the  Holy  Ghost,  and  to  keep  back  part  of  the  price  of  the 
land  ?  Whiles  it  remained,  was  it  not  thine  own  ?  and 
after  it  was  sold,  was  it  not  in  thine  own  power?  why 
hast  thou  conceived  this  thing  in  thine  heart?  thou  hast 
not  lied  unto  men,  but  unto  God.  And  Ananias  hearing 
these  words  fell  down,  and  gave  up  the  ghost :  and  great 
fear  came  on  all  them  that  heard  these  things.  And  the 
young  men  arose,  wound  him  up,  and  carried  him  out, 
and  buried  him.  And  it  was  about  the  space  of  three 
hours  after,  when  his  wife,  not  knowing  what  was  done, 
came  in.  And  Peter  answered  unto  her.  Tell  me  whether 
ye  sold  the  land  for  so  much  ?  And  she  said.  Yea,  for  so 
much.  Then  Peter  said  unto  her.  How  is  that  ye  have 
agreed  together  to  tempt  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  ?  Behold, 
the  feet  of  them  which  have  buried  thy  husband  are  at  the 
door,  and  shall  carry  thee  out.  Then  fell  she  down  straight- 
way at  his  feet,  and  yielded  up  the  ghost :  and  the  young 
men  came  in,  and  found  her  dead,  and,  carrying  her  forth, 
buried  her  by  her  husband.  And  great  fear  came  upon 
all  the  Church,  and  upon  as  many  as  heard  these  things." 

UPON  me,  too,  comes  great  fear  when  I  read  this  history 
of  Ananias  and  Sapphira ;  and  every  one  who  reads  it 
surely  must  say,  "  How  black  a  sin  lying  must  be  in  the  eyes 
of  God!"  Nor  can  it  be  its  injurious  consequences  which 
make   it  so  black,  for  what   injury  ensued  from   the   lie   of 


34^  55-  Pttt  away  Lying,  and  speak  Trttth. 

Ananias  and  his  wife?  Not  on  account  of  the  loss  done 
thereby  to  the  Church  of  the  Lord  does  the  apostle  inflict  the 
punishment ;  that  loss  he  does  not  even  mention,  but  rather 
says  :  "Whiles  it  remained,  was  it  not  thine  own?  and  after 
it  was  sold,  was  it  not  in  thine  own  power  ?  "  It  is  not,  there- 
fore, the  injury  which  he  rebukes,  it  is  the  mere  lie :  "  Thoit 
hast  not  lied  unto  men,  but  unto  God.''  That  they  had  told  a  lie, 
and  intended  thereby  to  deceive  the  servants  of  God — this  is 
the  subject  of  his  censure.  Even  in  its  own  nature,  therefore, 
lying  must  be  the  offspring  of  darkness.  If  it  were  not,  how 
could  it  happen  that  once  over  the  lips  it  recoils  with  such 
a  weight  upon  the  heart?  It  is  so  small  a  word,  and  slips  so 
glibly  from  the  tongue,  and  yet  the  moment  it  is  uttered  it  falls 
back  like  a  mountain  upon  the  heart  and  almost  crushes  it. 

Out  on  a  lie  !  it  has  no  power  like  truth 
To  lift  the  burden  from  the  labouring  breast. 

If,  then,  it  be  not  its  injurious  consequences  which  blacken 
it — if  it  be  already  black  at  its  birth  into  the  world — no  advan- 
tage to  be  reaped  from  it  can  ever  wash  it  white.  Why  should 
falsehood  be  the  only  thing  which  expediency  can  purge  from 
black  to  white?  What!  shall  expediency  make  honourable 
a  coward  lie  and  not  do  the  same  for  every  other,  perhaps 
even  more  sturdy,  offspring  of  the  womb  of  darkness  ?  Why 
not  also  for  deceit,  incontinence,  theft,  and  daring  murder 
itself?  What  sort  of  a  privilege  can  cowardly  lying,  and  it 
alone,  possess?  Expediency!  Well,  if  that  be  the  haven 
towards  which  the  little  bark  of  your  virtue  steers  its  course, 
I  am  not  surprised  that  it  is  wrecked  a  thousand  times  before 
it  arrives ;  for,  methinks,  virtue  and  prosperity  are  two  buds 
which  we  do  not  often  find  growing  upon  one  stalk.  And 
especially  with  respect  to  truth.  Is  not  that  the  commodity 
which  at  all  times  has  had  fewest  customers  in  the  market? 
Has  it  not  always  been  found,  as  the  proverb  says,  that  "  He 
who  plays  tunes  upon  truth  will  have  the  instrument  broken 
over  his  head ; "  and  again,  "  He  that  speaks  the  truth  will 
have  short  notice  to  quit  his  quarters  "  ?     Indeed  it  must  also 


55-  Put  azuay  Lying,  and  speak  Truth.  347 

be  said  that  truth  is  far  too  high-minded  to  be  satisfied  merely 
with  the  estimation  paid  to  it  on  the  score  of  its  utiHty. 
Would  not  the  case  be  that  of  the  sun  borrowing  a  candle  to 
help  people  to  see  its  brightness  ?  If  it  be  not  an  accidental 
rhyme,  "  Be  true  and  rue"  neither  is  it  accidental  that  right 
chimes  with  bright.  Yes,  sacred  truth,  thou  art  bright  in  thy- 
self, and  thou  art  holy  in  thyself  Never  since  I  first  heard 
it  has  the  following  saying  departed  from  my  mind  :  "  If  the 
world  were  suspended  upon  the  thread  of  a  lie,  and  I  knew 
the  word  of  truth  which  would  cut  that  thread  in  twain,  that 
word  would  I  pronounce,  although  the  world  and  all  created 
things  were  to  drop  into  the  abyss." 

Does  God  ever  pretend  to  be  other  than  He  is  ?  are  not  all 
His  ways  truth  ?  God  Himself  is  truth,  and  he  who  sins  against 
truth  sins  against  God.  That  is  enough  to  make  the  word  of 
truth  sacred  to  me.  I  need  none  of  the  arguments  which 
others  allege,  such  as  that  our  Maker  has  given  speech  to  man 
in  order  that  it  might  be  the  picture  of  his  thought,  and  that 
therefore  lying  is  a  sin  against  the  purpose  of  God,  and  the 
use  for  which  speech  was  destined ;  that  it  is  an  abuse  of  con- 
fidence and  charity  towards  our  neighbour,  who  takes  it  for 
granted  that  we  use  speech  for  the  purpose  which  it  was  in- 
tended to  subserve.  These  arguments  may  be  good  in  their 
place.  Enough  for  me  to  say  with  David,  "  O  Lord,  Thou 
art  God,  and  Thy  words  be  true  ; "  ^  and  being  the  servant  of 
the  Lord,  I  will  walk  on  no  other  path  but  His.  Moreover, 
I  see  what  becomes  of  those  who  try  to  bargain  for  an  abate- 
ment of  the  truth.  The  stone  cannot  be  stopped  which  has 
once  begun  to  roll  down  the  hill,  and  one  He  produces  seven. 
If  you  are  to  consider  good  reasons  a  sufficient  excuse  for 
passing  *off  a  He — ah  me !  how  cheap  these  are,  especially 
when  furnished  by  a  wicked  heart !  I  never  saw  a  thief  use 
his  light  fingers  who  had  not  good  reasons  to  plead  for  doing 
so,  although  the  only  true  one  might  have  been  that  his  fingers 
itched.     Let  the  conscience  have  become  so  relaxed  as  to  sell 

1  2  Sam.  vii.  28. 


34S  55-  Put  away  Lying,  and  speak  TrntJi. 

its  consent  for  what  are  called  good  reasons,  and  I  know  of 
nothing  which  it  will  not  sell.  Rather  will  I  say  with  the 
poet, — 

"  The  conscience  which  men  pliant  call, 
Is  much  the  same  as  none  at  all." 

No  doubt  Ananias  and  Sapphira  had  their  good  reasons  for 
keeping  back  part  of  the  money.  Peter,  too,  had  his,  when 
he  falsely  swore  that  he  did  not  know  the  Son  of  man.  Had 
not  even  Judas  good  reasons  when  he  betrayed  Him  ?  I  affirm 
that  if  a  man  wishes  to  sell  himself  to  the  devil  he  has  only  to 
begin  by  crediting  his  good  reasofts.  I  have  often  paid  attention, 
both  in  myself  and  others,  to  the  way  in  which  the  devil  spins 
his  thread.  At  first  we  observe  that  we  are  about  to  affirm 
to  ourselves  what  is  not  true,  and  are  still  somewhat  afraid.  In 
a  little  time  the  thing  appears  to  us  not  unlikely,  and  after  a 
few  minutes  more  the  net  is  drawn  together  and  the  bird 
caught.  Such  is  almost  always  the  process  when  a  lie  comes 
to  a  man  and  asks  a  passport  dictated  by  itself 

Dear  Master,  a  monstrous  sophist  dwells  in  my  heart,  and 
he  has  an  inexhaustible  treasure  of  excuses  for  everything  that 
is  well-pleasing  to  the  old  Adam  within  me.  Protect  me  from 
the  good  reasons  of  the  devil,  and  make  the  7cwy/  of  truth 
sacred  in  my  eyes. 

There  is  probably  no  one  who  would  not  be  alarmed  were 
he  calmly  to  reflect  upon  the  enormous  amount  of  lies  which 
men  tell  to  each  other.  They  confess  that  this  is  dishonour- 
able, and  are  ashamed  of  themselves ;  but  they  do  not  give  up 
the  practice,  and  when  they  return  to  the  company  of  their 
fellows  begin  to  lie  afresh.  The  taste  of  truth  is  very  bitter, 
and  they  will  not  have  it  otherwise.  We  have  here  a  new 
instance  of  the  slave  who  desires  to  be  delivered  from  his 
chain,  but  who,  because  the  chain  is  of  gold,  is  fain  to  keep 
hold  of  it  still.  Never  am  I  so  struck  with  the  extraordinary 
degree  in  which  falsehood  prevails  among  men,  as  when  I 
figure  to  myself  the  terror  which  would  overwhelm  a  company 
if  their  breasts  were  at  once  to  become  transparent,  so  that 


55-  Put  aivay  Lying,  and  speak  Truth.  349 

they  could  read  wliat  was  passing  in  each  otlier's  hearts.  The 
following  story  is  told  :  When  Ottacar,  King  of  lioheniia,  ven- 
tured to  take  arms  against  the  Emperor  Rudolf,  and  when  the 
two  armies — the  German  and  the  Bohemian — already  con- 
fronted each  other,  the  King  deemed  it  more  advisable,  after 
all,  to  tender  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  JCmperor,  but  only 
before  the  magnates  of  the  realm,  and  inside  of  the  imperial 
tent.  He  came  for  the  purpose,  but  had  scarce  dropped  upon 
his  knee  before  the  throne  when  a  rope  was  drawn  and  the 
four  sides  of  the  tent  fell  to  the  ground,  exi)osing  the  haughty 
monarch  in  this  humiliating  posture  to  the  view  of  all  the 
people.  Were  the  walls  which  hide  the  secrets  of  our  breasts 
suddenly  to  collai)se,  of  a  truth  our  terror  would  scarcely  be 
less ;  and  yet  they  who  thus  lie  one  to  another  are  brdkrai, 
members  of  one  body  I 

It  appears,  indeed,  that  between  truth  on  one  side  and  false- 
hood on  the  other,  men  have  built  a  bridge,  which  they  call  a 
wJiite  lie.  And  what  is  it  that  they  thereby  mean?  Do  they 
in  general  mean  anything  else  than  a  lie  for  whic/i  t/uy  have 
some  good  reason  ?  The  virtue  of  truthfulness,  in  the  opinion  of 
the  world,  is  the  difficult  virtue  oi  never  lying  without  a  piwpose 
and  object.  If,  however,  under  the  banner  of  white  lies,  the 
privilege  of  free  entrance  and  issue  be  given  to  all  lies  which 
are  profitable  to  one's  purse  and  dear  self,  no  honest  man 
can  doubt  who  the  captain  is  under  whom  such  persons  are 
serving. 

There  are,  indeed,  certain  intricate  cases  in  which  even  a 
Christian  conscience  may  feel  somewhat  perplexed  what  to  do  ; 
for  example,  when  a  lie  of  this  kind  is  presented  to  it  as  a  duty 
of  charity  to7vards  a  brother^  and  when  that  brother's  welfare 
or  life  is  to  be  purchased  by  the  false  coin.  If  it  be  lawful — 
nay,  obligatory — for  me  to  sacrifice /{/^^  for  a  brother,  why  may 
I  not  likewise  sacrifice  trutJi  1  I  can  easily  imagine  that  an 
upright  soul  is' as  conscious  of  making  a  sacrifice  when  in  such 
a  case  it  sacrifices  truth,  as  when  it  sacrifices  life  and  health 
for  the  brethren,  and  that  it  suffers  in  so  doing  ihc  pain  of  self 


350  55-  P n't  away  Lyings  and  speak  Truth. 

denial ;  and  I  would  not  be  the  man  to  cast  the  first  stone  upon 
a  He  of  that  description.  Only  I  think  that  if  it  were  written 
in  His  Word,  "  Hereby  perceive  we  the  love  of  God,  because 
He  laid  down  truth  and  righteousness  for  us ;  and  we  ought  to 
lay  down  truth  and  righteousness  for  the  brethren," — I  repeat, 
were  these  the  words  of  Scripture,  in  place  of  the  words  of  Scrip- 
ture being  as  they  are — "  Hereby  perceive  we  the  love  of  God, 
because  He  laid  down  His  life  for  us  \  and  we  ought  to  lay 
down  our  life  for  the  brethren"  ^ — all  would  then  be  well.  Inas- 
much, however,  as  in  laying  down  his  life  for  the  brethren  He 
laid  it  down/6'r  the  trzith,  I  am  of  opinion  that  the  kind  of  lie 
of  which  we  speak  has  no  exemplification  in  Christ  the  Lord, 
and  that  truth  must  be  a  higher  good  than  health  and  life 
itself  It  is  a  bad  affair  when  men  make  of  it  a  funnel ;  for 
though  the  mouth  may  be  little  at  the  first,  it  will  grow  larger 
in  time.  Rather  ought  it,  as  I  think,  to  be  a  rijig,  which  if 
broken  in  a  single  place  is  no  longer  whole.  Lyi7ig  and  cheating 
are  nearly  related ;  and  I  do  not  see  how  it  is  possible  inno- 
cently to  lie  for  the  brethren,  and  not  also  innocently  to  cheat 
and  steal  for  them,  like  the  worthy  cobbler  Crispin,  who  pur- 
loined the  leather  of  the  rich,  by  whom  the  loss  was  unfelt,  in 
order  to  make  shoes  for  the  poor.  There  are  many,  no  doubt, 
who  are  benevolent  and  generous  at  the  expense  of  God ;  but 
that  they  thereby  earn  His  gratitude  is  greatly  to  be  questioned. 
If,  according  to  His  will,  we  ourselves  ought  to  be  ready  to 
undergo  anything  rather  than  consent  to  do  wrong,  ought  not 
the  same  principle  to  regulate  our  deportment  towards  our 
brethren  ?  Supposing  that  by  a  lie  I  could  save  the  property, 
or  wife,  or  child,  or  life  of  a  brother,  how  do  I  know  that  under 
all  circumstances  I  would  thereby  be  really  doing  him  good  ? 
But  that  truth  is  a  good  in  itself  I  know  full  well.  When  the 
venerable  Athanasius  was  fleeing  from  his  persecutors,  he  was 
overtaken  in  the  desert,  and  asked  if  "he  was  Athanasius." 
He  reasoned  with  himself  that  the  preservation  of  so  noble 
a  pillar  of  truth  in  the  temple  of  His  Church  must  be  of  far 

1  I  John,  iii.  i6. 


55-  P n't  away  Lying,  and  speak  TriUJi.  351 

greater  consequence  to  God  than  the  poor  and  diminutive 
monosyllable  yes ;  and  he  answered  no.  The  worthy  bishop 
was  indeed  a  pillar  in  the  Lord's  temple  ;  but  how  did  he  know 
that  the  Lord,  who,  in  the  words  of  John  the  Baptist,  "  is  able 
to  raise  up  children  from  the  stones"  had  not  other  pillars  at 
His  command  ?  Does  not  history  testify  aloud  that  the  blood 
of  the  martyrs  has  at  all  times  been  the  richest  fertiHser  of  the  soil 
of  the  Church  ?  Was  not  John  Huss,  that  noble  witness  of  the 
truth,  likewise  a  pillar  in  the  temple,  and  one  which  the  Church 
of  the  age  appeared  little  able  to  spare  ?  And  yet  was  not  his 
death  a  far  more  effective  trumpet-call  in  behalf  of  Gospel 
truth  than  his  life  could  ever  possibly  have  been  ?  I  am  con- 
vinced that  in  the  Lord's  battles  it  is  better  and  also  more 
pleasing  to  Him  that  we  should  suffer  defeat,  than  that  we 
should  wield  arms  upon  which  He  has  not  pronounced  His 
blessing.  After  all,  who  knows  for  certain  what  in  any  case  is 
best  ?  We  are  told  of  a  persecutor  who  once  questioned  a 
daughter  where  her  father  was.  She  had  seen  him  take  refuge 
in  a  chamber ;  but  she  replied  he  was  in  the  garden,  and  into 
that  he  had  just  escaped  through  the  chamber- window,  and  so 
fell  into  the  hands  of  his  pursuers. 

It  is  no  doubt  true  that  persons,  both  male  and  female, 
who  served  and  worshipped  God,  and  to  whom  holy  Scripture 
accords  a  high  testimonial  for  piety,  have  acted  otherwise. 
Abraham  did  so,  when  to  the  kings  of  Egypt  and  of  Gerar  he 
represented  Sarah,  not  as  his  wife,  but  as  his  sister.  (It  is 
true  that  she  was  also  his  half-sister. i)  So  did  Samuel  when 
he  went  up  to  Bethlehem  to  offer  sacrifice,  but  likewise  to 
anoint  David,  and  only  said  that  he  went  up  to  offer  sacrifice. ^ 
So  did  the  midwives  of  Egypt  when  they  rescued  the  babes  of 
Israel, from  the  wrath  of  the  king.^  So  did  Rahab,  when, 
prompted  by  her  faith  in  the  true  God,  she  concealed  the 
spies.'^  Nay,  even  Paul  did  not  tell  the  w/io/e  truth  when  he 
affirmed  before  the  council  that  it  was  for  preaching  the  resur- 

^  Gen.  xii.  13  ;  xx.  5.  ^  1  Sam,  xvi.  2  ei  seq. 

3  Exod.  i,  19,  20.  •*  Heb.  xi.  31. 


352  55-  Put  away  Lying,  and  speak  T^mtJi. 

rection  from  the  dead  that  he  was  arraigned  before  them.^ 
But  what  follows  from  this  ?  Among  all  of  women  born  has 
there  ever  been  more  than  one  who  was  able  to  say,  "  Which 
of  you  convinceth  me  of  sin?"  Was  even  Paul  so  great  a 
saint  as  not  to  need  daily  to  pray,  "  Forgive  us  our  debts,  and 
lead  us  not  into  temptation  "  ?  As  I  have  already  said,  I  will 
not  be  the  man  to  cast  a  stone  at  any  one  who  in  the  hour  of 
temptation,  and  in  the  interest  of  his  brethren,  or  even  in  his 
own,  has  allowed  an  untruthful  word  to  escape  from  his  lips. 
He  who  has  not  faith  to  believe  that  all  things  must  work 
together  for  good  to  them  that  love  God,  and  who  does  not, 
in  obedience  to  His  commandments,  unhesitatingly  shrink 
from  sin  more  than  from  any  amount  of  misfortune, — I  repeat, 
he  who  has  not  such  strength  of  faith  has  no  alternative  in  the 
hour  of  temptation  save  to  act  as  he  thinks  best,  although  it 
behoves  to  be  done  in  ways  that  are  not  good.  Perhaps  it  is 
even  more  advisable,  on  the  whole,  not  to  expect  that  persons 
so  timid  and  weak  in  faith  will  speak  the  truth  at  all.  If  they 
once  conceive  that  it  is  their  diity  to  take  upon  themselves  to 
govern — although  on  crooked  ways — the  course  of  events,  and 
consult  for  their  own  and  their  brethren's  good,  may  we  not 
apply  to  them  the  text,  "Whatsoever  is  not  of  faith  is  sin"?^ 
When  to  the  question,  "  Art  thou  the  man  ?  "  asked  in  the  face 
of  the  murderer's  dagger,  only  a  feeble  and  trembling  yes  is 
heard,  in  place  of  the  I  am  of  joyful  faith,  it  is  perhaps  more 
consonant  with  the  whole  spiritual  condition  of  such  a  man  to 
utter  what  his  unbelieving  timorous  heart  suggests,  and  then 
to  go  into  his  closet  and  earnestly  pray  to  God  to  give  him  a 
greater  measure  of  faith,  for  the  lack  of  which  there  can  be  no 
excuse.  For  myself,  at  least,  I  would  not  as  confessor  torment 
the  conscience  of  one  who,  on  a  sick-bed,  for  instance,  was 
guilty  of  a  prevarication.  From  weakness  of  faith  we  every 
day  do  so  much  that  is  wrong,  that  our  only  way  is  humbly 
and  penitently  to  sum  it  up  in  the  prayer,  "  Forgive  us  our 
debts."     I  would,  however,  say  to  him.  Dear  brother,  may  the 

1  Acts,  xxiii,  6.  ^  Rom.  xiv.  23. 


55-  Put  away  Lying,  and  speak  Trnth.  353 

Lord  the  God  of  might  vouchsafe  to  thee  such  faith  as  never 
for  a  moment  to  doubt  that  what  happens  to  thee,  or  to  any 
other  child  of  man,  when  walking  in  the  straight  way,  is  alzvays 
for  the  best. 

All  depends  upon  acquiring  a  right  taste  for  truth,  and  he 
who  means  to  be  truthful  towards  7nen^  must  begin  by  being 
truthful  towards  God  and  towards  himself.  If,  in  those  hours 
in  which  he  presents  himself  calmly  in  the  divine  presence,  he 
does  not  seek  to  be  truthful,  and  has  not  learned  to  cast  away 
all  those  specious  reasons,  pretexts,  and  excuses  which  are  the 
false  coin  of  the  devil,  to  that  person  never  will  truth  be  sacred 
in  his  intercourse  with  his  fellow-men.  If  we  only  observe 
how  men  shrink  from  appearing  face  to  face,  without  veil  or 
disguise,  before  the  Lord,  we  will  not  wonder  for  a  moment 
that  in  their  intercourse  with  each  other  they  do  not  lay  aside 
the  mask.  If  there  be  one  thing  of  which  I  am  deeply  and 
unalterably  convinced,  it  is,  that  only  in  proportion  as  we  are 
sincere  towards  the  Lord  our  God,  will  we  be  also  sincere  one 
towards  another. 


Lord,  in  all  acts  and  words  of  Thine 
Did  Thy  bright  soul  reflected  shine 

As  in  a  mirror's  face  ; 
And  never  once  did  Thy  lips  part 
But  to  reveal  Thine  inmost  heart, 

That  fount  of  truth  and  grace. 
O  grant  that  I  may  ever  be 
Guileless  and  truthful,  still  like  Thee 
That  so  in  all  I  do  may  shine 
My  inmost  heart,  as  once  did  Thine. 

For  if  the  fruit  of  truth  I  bear. 
And  on  Thine  image  bright  and  fair 

My  inward  eye  I  stay. 
All  that  I  do  shall  well  succeed  ; 
Thou  wilt  direct  my  every  deed, 

And  ne'er  my  trust  betray. 
Yet  who  can  say  or  see 
What's  best  for  him  to  be? 
So  be  the  issue  what  it  may. 
Childlike  Thy  Word  I  will  obey, 

Z 


354  ^6.  Be  subject  unto  the  higher  Powers. 

56. 

Be  subject  unto  tje  j^itjlfter  ^loiners. 

That  by  the  grace  of  God  the  Lord 

They  reign,  all  kings  avow  ; 
And  in  God's  name  to  hear  the  sword 
Is  no  S7nall grace,  I  trow. 

Yet  he  who  wields  the  sword  at  will. 

Will  sometimes  smite  awry  ; 
And  that  an  upright  heart  will  fill 

With  grief  and  misery. 

So  God  I  thafik,  who  chose  for  me 

A  subject's  humbler  part, 
And  ask  for  him  who  KING  must  be, 

Both  a  stout  hand  and  heart. 

Rom.  xiii.  i.  "Let  every  soul  be  subject  unto  the  higher 
powers.  For  there  is  no  power  but  of  God  ;  the  powers 
that  be  are  ordained  of  God." 

FAITH  in  Christ  purifies  and  establishes  not  only  hearts, 
but  houses  and  families,  and  in  like  manner  govern- 
ments and  states.  Oh,  how  much  more  firmly  do  their  crowns 
sit  upon  the  heads  of  the  mighty  when  upheld  hy  faith  than 
when  merely  by  soldiery  and  police  !  How  profound  and 
worthy  of  reverence  the  doctrine  respecting  the  magistracy 
which  the  Gospel  inculcates  !  It  tells  us  that  "  the  powers 
that  be  are  ordained  of  God,"  and  that  the  magistrate  is  "  His 
minister."  And  since  they  have  learned  to  believe  the  Gospel, 
sovereigns,  in  compliance  with  that  lesson,  have  styled  them- 
selves, as  they  still  do,  "  By  the  grace  of  God."  What  title 
more  honourable,  and  at  the  same  time  more  hiifuble,  can  there 
be  ?  By  it,  no  doubt,  they  boldly  avouch  that  they  owe  their 
dignity  not  to  the  ignoble  hand  and  institution  of  man,  but  to 


56.  Be  stcbject  tmto  the  higher  Powers.  355 

the  omnipotent  hand  of  the  Supreme.  At  the  same  time,  they 
humbly  confess  that  if  their  exaltation  had  depended  upon 
their  own  strength  and  prudence,  they  never  could  have 
achieved  it,  and  that  therefore  none  should  arrogate  thanks  or 
praise  to  himself,  but  ascribe  these  singly  and  solely  to  the 
King  of  kings.  Does  not  this  title  draw,  as  it  were,  a  distinc- 
tion betwixt  that  which  a  man  is  of  himself  and  that  which 
God  has  been  pleased  to  make  him?  Is  it  not  as  if  the 
monarch  meant  thereby  to  say,  I,  Frederick,  George,  or  Albert, 
am  indeed  a  man  like  all  the  rest  of  you ;  but  by  the  grace  of 
God  I  have  been  clothed  with  a  robe  to  which  you  must  pay 
respect,  as  I  myself  do,  not  for  my  own  sake,  but  for  His  who 
has  put  it  on  me  ?  It  is  a  beautiful  story  which  is  told  of  the 
Emperor  Maximilian,  for  whose  observation  some  one  had 
written  upon  the  wall — 

"  When  Adam  delved  and  Eve  span, 
Where  was  then  the  gentleman?" 

Beneath  it  the  pious  emperor  wrote — 

"  I  am  a  man,  as  others  be ; 
My  honours  God  hath  given  to  me." 

We  mean  not  to  affirm  that  none  but  monarchs  are  what  they 
are  by  the  grace  of  God,  or  that  to  the  grace  of  God  subjects, 
both  citizens  and  peasants,  are  not  equally  beholden  ;  for,  as 
Luther  says,  "  every  rank  and  condition  has  something  of  its 
own  to  boast  of  before  God,"  thereby  signifying  that  it  has 
been  favoured  in  one  shape  or  another.  All  we  mean  to  affirm 
is,  that  divine  grace  has  poured  a  much  richer  measure  of  gifts 
and  privileges  upon  the  great  and  mighty  of  the  earth  than 
upon  other  ranks  of  men.  In  fact,  rulers  have  been  instituted 
for  no  less  a  purpose  than  in  the  name  of  God  to  exercise  justice 
upon  the  earth.  For  this  end  a  sword  has  been  put  into  their 
hand,  and  they  have  been  gifted  with  a  far  larger  share  of 
power ;  because  for  him  whose  office  it  is  to  protect  the  inno- 
cent and  punish  the  evil-doer  it  is  not  enough  that  he  merely 


356  ^6.  Be  subject  tmto  the  higher  Powers. 

hold  in  one  hand  the  book  of  the  law — he  must  likewise  by  all 
means  bear  the  sword  in  the  other.  And,  according  to  the 
word  of  the  apostle,  such  divine  authority  pertains  to  every 
magistracy  under  which  a  regular  government  has  been  estab- 
lished in  a  nation,  and  to  which  men  have  sworn  the  oath  of 
allegiance.  Nor  does  it  make  any  difference  whether  the 
magistracy  be  of  thy  religious  persuasion  or  not,  nor  whether 
it  have  originated  lawfully  or  by  violence.  If  in  God's  stead 
it  sits  in  judgment  against  unrighteousness,  and  maintains 
intact  the  rights  of  property  among  men,  and  the  reign  of 
peace  and  order  in  cities  and  private  houses,  and  if  thou  hast 
sworn  fealty  and  obedience  to  it  in  the  sight  of  God,  then  it  is 
thy  magistracy,  and  with  its  origin,  whatever  that  may  have 
been,  thou  hast  nothing  to  do.  God  has  given  it  the  power, 
and  to  that  power  thou  hast  paid  homage.  "  He  is  not  the 
author  of  confusion,  but  of  peace,"  ^  and  they  who  maintain 
order  in  families  and  nations  are  His  officers.  For  that  reason 
St  Paul  here  says,  "  Let  every  soul  be  subject  unto  the  higher 
powers  ; "  and  in  like  manner  St  Peter  exhorts,  —  "  Submit 
yourselves  to  every  ordinance  of  man  for  the  Lord's  sake : 
whether  it  be  to  the  king,  as  supreme ;  or  unto  governors,  as 
unto  them  that  are  sent  by  Him  for  the  punishment  of  evil- 
doers, and  for  the  praise  of  them  that  do  well."  ^ 

Verses  2-4.  *' Whosoever  therefore  resisteth  the  power,  re- 
sisteth  the  ordinance  of  God :  and  they  that  resist  shall 
receive  to  themselves  damnation.  For  rulers  are  not  a 
terror  to  good  works,  but  to  the  evil.  Wilt  thou  then  not 
be  afraid  of  the  power  ?  Do  that  which  is  good,  and  thou 
shalt  have  praise  of  the  same  :  for  he  is  the  minister  of 
God  to  thee  for  good.  But  if  thou  do  that  which  is  evil, 
be  afraid  ;  for  he  beareth  not  the  sword  in  vain  :  for  he  is 
the  minister  of  God,  a  revenger  to  execute  wrath  upon 
him  that  doeth  evil." 

1  I  Cor.  xiv.  33.  2  I  Pet.  if.  13,  14. 


5 6.  Be  subject  tmto  the  higher  Powers.  357 

All  that,  you  will  say,  is  well  spoken  by  the  apostle,  in  as 
far  as  it  refers  to  such  a  magistracy  as  is  not  an  object  of 
terror  to  good  works,  but  only  to  the  evil^  and  is  a  revenger  to 
execute  wrath  upon  the  evil-doer.     But  you  will  further  allege 
that  there  are  many  among  the  powers  that  be  who  do  the 
very  contrary  of  this,  who  are  a  terror  to  good  works,  but  not 
to  the  m/,  and  who  bear  the  sword  for  the  punishment  of 
them  that  do  well.     Now,  beyond  all  question,  the  beloved 
apostle  was  of  opinion  that  when  the  mighty  whom  the  Lord 
has  invested  with  power  do  the  contrary  of  that  which  as 
magistrates  they  were  appointed  to  do,  the  Christian  people 
should  yet  beware  of  attempting  to  wrest  the  sceptre  from 
their  hand,  and  should  rather  follow  the  apostle  Peter's  exhor- 
tation to  servants,  when  he  says,  "  Be  subject  to  your  masters 
with  all  fear  ;  not  only  to  the  good  and  gentle,  but  also  to 
th.Qfroward.    For  this  is  thankworthy,  if  a  man  for  conscience 
toward    God    endure  grief,   suffering  wrongfully.      For  what 
glory  is  it,  if,  when  ye  be  buffeted  for  your  faults,  ye  shall  take 
it  patiently  ?  but  if,  when  ye  do  well,  and  suffer  for  it,  ye  take 
it  patiently,  this  is  acceptable  with  God.''^     To  the  same 
effect  the  Old  Testament  admonishes :    "  My  son,  fear  thou 
the  Lord  and  the  king ;  and  meddle  not  with  them  that  are 
given  to  change."  ^     Was  it  not  in  the  reign  of  that  savage 
tyrant  Nero  that  the  apostle  Paul  wrote  his  doctrine  respecting 
the  authority  of  the  powers  that  be  ?  and  was  it  not  by  Nero's 
command  that  he,  and  likewise  St  Peter,  sealed  their  faith 
with  the  blood  of  martyrdom?  and  yet,  although  a  Nero  did 
then  so  grimly  rage,  and  both  personally  and  by  his  deputies 
and  officers  pervert  justice  in  a  thousand  cases,  did  not  one 
of  his  captains  testify,  "  It  is  not  the  manner  of  the  Romans 
to  deliver  any  man  to  die,  before  that  he  which  is  accused 
have  the  accusers  face  to  face,  and  have  licence  to  answer  for 
himself  concerning   the   crime   laid   against   him "  ?  ^      Even 
under  a  Nero,  therefore,  things  never  came  to  such  a  pass 
that  the  magistracy  degenerated  into  its  very  opposite,  prais- 
1  I  Pet.  ii.  18-20.  2  Prov.  xxiv.  21.  ^  Acts,  xxv.  16. 


358  $6.  Be  sicbject  unto  the  higher  Powers. 

ing  and  rewarding  with  office  and  honour  perjurers  and  thieves 
and  defamers,  and  putting  the  honest  man  to  death  upon  the 
gibbet.     So  long,  then,  as  a  magistrate,  though  in  many  a  case 
and  in  many  a  place  he  do  turn  right  into  wrong,  does  yet  in 
general  uphold  the  distinction  between  mine  and  thine — so 
long  as  the  thief  and  the  murderer  are  punished,  and  care 
taken  of  the  public  weal,  wilt  thou,  for  the  wrong  which  may 
be  done  to  thee,  and  perhaps  to  many  more, — wilt  thou,  I  re- 
peat, because  here  and  there  a  stone  drops  out  and  a  rent  is 
made  in  a  house  which  God  has  built,  undertake,  at  thine  own 
risk,  to  pull  it  down  and  set  up  another  in  its  place  ?     Surely 
thou  wilt  rather  leave  that  task  to  the  Architect  who  built  it. 
Believe  me.  He  will  not  be  a  quite  passive  spectator ;  and 
although  He  may  not  approve  of  His  children  putting  forth 
their  hands,  His   jailers  and  hangmen  will  not  be  wanting. 
For  were   there  to  be  a  magistracy  which  wholly  forgot  the 
function  for  which  it  was  instituted,  it  would  soon  fall  into  the 
pit  which  it  had  dug  for  others,  and  be  strangled  in  the  snare 
with  which  it  had  strangled  its  subjects.      "  Wheresoever  the 
carcass  is^^  said  our  Lord,  ''  there  shall  the  eagles  be  gathered 
together'^      And  what   else   but   a  putrefying  carcass   would 
a  state  be  in  which  the  magistracy  had  dropt  the  reins  from 
their  grasp  and  allowed  confusion  to  take  the  place  of  order? 
Although  not  one  Christian  should  put  forth  his  hand,  there 
would  not  fail  to  be  mobs,  and  what  Luther  wrote  to  the  re- 
volted peasantry  would  take  place.     "  God,"  he  said,  "  is  the 
enemy  of  both  alike — the  tyrants  and  the  mobs — and  hounds 
them  upon  each  other  that  they  may  both  shamefully  perish, 
and  so  His  wrath  and  sentence  be  executed  upon  the  ungodly." 
''  For,"  as  he  says  in  another  passage,  "  He  is  a  master  in  the 
art  of  setting  one  thief  to  buffet  another,  without  which  it 
would  be  impossible  to  find  halters  and  gibbets  enough  for  the 
purpose."     Although  Christian  men  keep  quiet  and  submit  to 
much,  there  will  always  be  plenty  of  hot  heads  in  the  world, 
who,  in  the  case  of  a  magistracy  behaving  too  badly,  will  stir 
up  riots  and  do  service  as  a  scourge  in  the  hand  of  God.     A 


S6.  Be  siLbject  unto  the  higher  Powers.  359 

pious  sovereign  said  long  ago,  *'  Power  is  like  a  child,  which, 
when  not  guided  by  discretion,  behaves  insolently,  and 
stumbles  and  falls  of  itself." 

In  the  self- same  strain  as  the  holy  apostle  did  Luther 
also  advise,  when  the  peasantry  in  Swabia  were  for  rising  in 
tumult  and  rebellion.  "  You  allege,"  he  said  to  them,  "  that 
the  powers  that  be  are  too  bad  to  be  endured.  They  will  not 
permit  us  to  have  the  Gospel,  and  they  cruelly  oppress  us  by 
damaging  our  properties,  and  so  they  destroy  both  soul  and 
body.  I  answer.  The  wickedness  and  injustice  of  the  powers 
that  be  do  not  excuse  riot  and  insurrection,  because  to  punish 
the  wicked  belongs  to  no  private  person,  but  to  the  civil  autho- 
rities. It  is  also  a  natural  and  universal  law,  that  nobody 
ought  to  be  or  can  be  judge  and  avenger  in  his  own  cause. 
For  there  is  truth  in  the  proverb  that  '  he  who  returns  a  blow 
does  wrong.'  And  with  this  the  divine  law  is  consonant, 
which  says,  '  To  me  belongeth  vengeance  a7id  recompe7ise' "  ^ 
Moreover,  when  his  friends  complained  to  him  that  the  rulers 
gave  no  vigorous  support  to  the  Word,  nor  applied  any  forc- 
ible check  to  the  Papacy,  he  warns  them  against  destroying 
the  work  of  God  by  rioting,  and  says  :  "  Although  it  were 
practicable  to  raise  a  rebellion,  that  method  is  of  no  use,  and 
never  brings  the  amendment  which  is  sought,  inasmuch  as 
rebellion  is  without  tmder standing,  and  tisually  injures  the  inno- 
cent more  than  the  guilty.  For  this  reason  it  is  in  all  cases 
wrong,  however  right  the  ground  of  it  may  be,  and  is  always 
followed  by  far  greater  damage  than  improvement,  verifying 
the  proverb  that  Out  of  evil  comes  worse.  Besides,  it  is  for- 
bidden by  God  in  express  terms,  when  He  says,  ^'  That  which 
is  Just  shall  thou  follow  justly ^  ^  Why  should  not  God  per- 
mit an  intolerable  and  often  unrighteous  magistracy  to  lord 
it  over  a  country,  when  He  permits  wicked  and  unrighteous 
parents  to  rule  their  children,  and  harsh  and  intolerable  hus- 
bands their  helpless  and  unresisting  wives?  It  is  expressly 
written  in  the  Book  of  the  Prophet  Isaiah,  ^' I  will  give  children 
1  Deut.  xxxii.  35.  ^  Deut.  xvi.  20 — Luther's  vers. 


360  ^6.  Be  subject  imto  the  higher  Powers. 

to  be  their  princes^  and  babes  shall  rule  over  themy  ^  And 
again,  '■'■  I  gave  thee  a  king  in  7nine  anger,  and  took  him  away  in 
my  wrathr  ^  In  this  manner  God  can  convert  the  sovereign 
into  the  executioner  of  a  people,  in  order  that  perchance  under 
his  strokes  they  may  come  to  themselves,  and  in  their  tribula- 
tion turn  to  Him  who  is  the  supreme  King  of  kings,  that  He 
may  look  into  the  matter  and  put  a  stop  to  the  affliction  of 
the  land.  And,  in  my  opinion,  an  executioner  thus  appointed 
by  t\iQ  grace  of  God  is  generally  much  more  tolerable  than  when 
peasants,  by  efforts  of  their  own,  rise  to  become  princes,  as  the 
proverb  has  so  truly  said, — 

"  A  clown,  if  raised  above  his  sphere, 
Wili  sharper  than  a  razor  shear." 

It  is  true  that  even  the  apostles  have  emitted  a  saying  from 
which  it  may  be  inferred  that  they  did  not,  at  least  absolutely, 
disapprove  of  rebellion ;  for  the  apostle  Peter,  in  company 
with  John,  declared  before  the  Sanhedrim,  "  Whether  it  be 
right  in  the  sight  of  God  to  hearken  unto  you  more  than  unto 
God,  judge  ye."  ^  This  saying  has  oftener  than  once  been 
thrown  like  a  firebrand  among  the  populace,  to  kindle  insur- 
rection and  uproar.  But  did  ever  Peter  or  John,  or  any 
other  of  our  Lord's  disciples  in  the  Church,  lift  an  armed  hand 
against  the  Council  of  Jerusalem  ?  Only  read  what  they  did 
upon  the  occasion  referred  to.  Yes,  they  ca^ne  together,  and 
their  hands  they  lifted  up,  not,  however,  against  the  magistrates 
by  whom  they  had  been  threatened,  but  to  the  Lord  God  of 
heaven  and  earth,  while  they  prayed  this  prayer  :  "  And  now. 
Lord,  behold  their  threatenings ;  and  grant  unto  Thy  servants, 
that  with  all  boldness  they  may  speak  Thy  word^  To  refuse 
obedience  when  the  powers  that  be  command  thee  to  do  some 
ungodly  thing,  to  suffer  them  to  tear  thee  to  pieces  rather  than 
act  contrary  to  God's  express  command,  is  a  very  different 
thing  from  lifting  hand  and  sword  against  them,  and  inciting 
others  to  do  the  same.     And  to  this  effect  writes  Luther  as 

1  Isa.  iii.  4.  2  Hos.  xiii.  11.  ^  Acts,  iv.  19. 


56.  Be  subject  unto  the  higher  Power's.  361 

follows  :  "  If  thy  prince  or  temporal  sovereign  order  thee  to  be 
friends  with  the  Pope,  and  to  believe  this  or  that  doctrine,  and 
insist  upon  your  putting  away  your  religious  books,  you  ought 
to  say  to  him,  '  Lucifer  has  no  right  to  sit  opposite  to  God. 
Sire,  I  am  under  obligation  to  obey  thee  with  my  life  and 
goods — and  with  any  order,  within  the  limit  of  thy  power  on 
earth,  I  will  comply ;  but  I  will  not  obey  when  thou  tellest 
me  what  to  believe  and  what  to  reject,  for  then  thou  playest 
the  tyrant,  and  intrudest  into  a  sphere  where  thou  hast  neither 
right  nor  power.'  If,  thereupon,  thy  prince  deprive  thee  of 
thy  property  and  punish  thee  for  disobedience,  blessed  art 
thou.  Thank  God,  who  counts  thee  worthy  to  suffer  for  His 
holy  Word  ;  but  let  the  prince  alone — he  is  a  fool,  and  will 
not  fail  to  find  his  judge.  But  if  thou  dost  not  gainsay  him, 
and  permittest  him  to  rob  thee  of  thy  faith  or  thy  books,  then 
verily  thou  hast  defrauded  God.  Let  me  give  an  instance. 
In  Meisen,  Bavaria,  and  other  places,  the  tyrants  have  issued 
an  order  to  the  people  to  come  and  deliver  up  their  New 
Testaments  at  the  public  offices.  In  such  a  case  how  ought 
subjects  to  act  ?  Their  duty  is  not  to  part  with  a  single  page 
or  letter,  if  they  would  not  forfeit  their  salvation.  If  orders 
are  given  to  visit  their  houses,  and  forcibly  to  take  either  their 
property  or  their  books,  they  ought  to  submit.  In  place  of 
resisting,  they  should  patiently  endure  violence;  but  neither 
sanction,  nor  serve,  nor  follow,  nor  obey  it  either  one  foot  or 
one  finger's  breadth."  This  is  what  is  0.2^^^  passive  resista?ice, 
and  in  this  way  a  Christian  may  act  as  often  as  his  conscience 
bids  him.  It  is  what  Christ  the  Lord  himself  did,  of  whom  it 
is  written,  that  ^'  when  He  was  reviled.  He  reviled  not  again ; 
when  He  suffered,  He  threatened  not ;  but  committed  Himself 
to  Him  that  jiidgeth  righteously'''  ^ 

There  is  another  point,  however,  to  which  we  would  direct 

attention.     It  is,  that  the  apostle  has  here,  for  the  purpose  of 

punishing,  put  into  the  hands  of  the  magistracy  not  merely  a 

rod^  but  a  sword,  and  means  thereby  to  intimate,  that  when 

1  I  Peter,  ii.  23. 


362  ^6.  Be  subject  unto  the  higher  Powers, 

si?i  has  been  carried  to  its  utmost  length,  to  the  same  length 
pimishifient  both  ought  to  and  must  proceed,  and  that  in  place 
of  the  prison  and  the  scourge,  the  magistracy  must  have 
recourse  to  the  sword  and  the  gibbet.  Now  there  are  many 
weak  hearts  who  cannot  bear  this,  as  among  the  early  Chris- 
tians there  were  pious  souls  who  preferred  resiling  from  the 
divinely-appointed  office  of  magistracy  with  which  their  fellow- 
citizens  wished  to  invest  them,  rather  than  run  the  risk  of  hav- 
ing to  pronounce  sentence  of  death  upon  malefactors,  an  act 
of  which,  thinking  it  sinful,  they  were  nervously  afraid.  And 
although  Paul  has  here,  in  express  terms,  armed  the  magistracy 
with  the  sword  for  the  punishment  of  evil-doers — although  our 
Lord  Himself  averred  that  ''  All  they  that  take  the  sword  shall 
perish  with  the  sword  "  ^ — although  the  Old  Testament  Scrip- 
tures have  enjoined,  "  Whoso  sheddeth  man's  blood,  by  man 
shall  his  blood  be  shed,"  ^ — these  persons  chose  rather  to  ex- 
pound such  texts  in  a  non-natural  sense  than  to  deprive  a 
human  being  of  life ;  and  for  the  same  reason  denounced  war 
as  a  work  absolutely  displeasing  to  God.  Now,  without  doubt, 
it  is  an  unspeakably  great  calamity  that  there  are  men  walking 
the  earth  who  are  not  afraid  to  shed  the  blood  of  another  made 
like  themselves  after  the  image  of  God,  and  who  do  not  scruple, 
with  arms  in  their  hands,  to  rob  brethren  of  their  properties 
and  hunt  them  out  of  house  and  home.  Inasmuch,  however, 
as  there  are  those  who  dare  to  perpetrate  such  crimes,  it  is 
certain  that  a  Christian  magistrate  ought  not  to  be  afraid  to 
make  them  feel  the  sharp?iess  of  the  sword.  Having  been  ap- 
pointed by  God  as  His  minister  to  execute  justice,  he  is  bound 
to  retaliate  ;  and  if  he  do  it  at  all,  he  must  have  the  power  of 
inflicting  such  punishment  as  he  certainly  knows  will  have  the 
effect  of  clearly  manifesting  the  retaliation  in  the  sight  of  men, 
and  imprinting  it  upon  their  consciences. 

Moreover,  as  by  their  police  and  officers  of  law  the  ruling 
powers  dispense  retribution  to  their  own  subjects,  so  by  their 
military  they  do  the  same  to  other  powers  by  whom  their  sub- 
1  Matt.  xxvi.  52.  2  Gen.  ix.  6. 


56.  Be  subject  ttnto  the  higher  Powers.  363 

jects  are  violently  assailed.     In  this  there  is  no  kind  of  anger, 
revenge,  or  inward  enmity,  because  the  very  reason  why  God 
has  taken  the  right  to  punish  out  of  the  hand  of  private  indivi- 
duals is,  that  these  might  have  either  too  little  power  or  too 
much  blind  passion  for  the  purpose — and  has  committed  it 
into  the  hands  of  magistrates,  who  ought  to  punish  impartially 
and  according  to  that  which  is  right  in  the  eyes  of  God.     To 
this  effect  Luther  writes  as  follows :  "  Whoever  is  appointed  to 
exercise  the  civil  government,  is  under  command  to  resent  and 
punish  and  kill  wherever  anything  that  is  wrong  and  worthy  of 
death  has  been  committed  by  the  subjects.     In  the  same  man- 
ner are  the  father  and  mother  in  a  family  specially  enjoined  by 
God  not  to  laugh  at  the  transgressions  of  their  children  and 
domestics,  but  to  reprove  and  scrupulously  punish  them.    God 
commands  them  to  do  so ;  and  when  they  leave  it  undone, 
they  disobey  and  act  contrary  to  their  office  and  instructions. 
For  this  reason  we  are  not  to  understand  that  a  thief  should 
say  to  his  judge,  '  Don't  hang  me ;  for  in  the  sixth  command- 
ment it  is  written,  Thou  shalt  not  kill.'     He  may  say  that  to 
his  equal  who  is  not  in  office,  but  not  to  magistrates  who  are 
commanded  to  use  the  sword  for  the  prevention  of  evil.     In 
like  manner  it  would  never  do  for  a  maid  in  a  family,  when 
guilty  of  waste,  negligence,  or  sloth,  to  say  to  her  mistress, 
'  Dear  lady,  you  are  a   Christian ;  remember  the  sixth  com- 
mandment,  and  don't  scold  me,  for  that  is  forbidden,  and 
Christ  says.  Whosoever  is  angry  with  his  brother  is  in  danger 
of  the  judgment.'     No,  my  girl,  God  has  here  enjoined  a  very 
different  thing;  you  are  a  servant,  and  bound  diligently  to 
attend  to  the  duties  of  your  office,  and  to  do  as  you  are  bid. 
If  you  refuse,  it  behoves  your  mistress  not  to  recompense  and 
praise,  but  to  correct  you.     And  this  has  been  devolved  by 
God  as  a  duty,  not  merely  upon  masters  and  mistresses  in  the 
family,  but  also  upon  magistrates   in  the  civil   government. 
And  such  '  wrath  '  as  we  have  described  unchristianises  them 
just  as  little  as  does  their  office  and  vocation.     They  would, 
however,  cease  to  be  Christians  were  they  to  relinquish  their 


364  5^-  B^  subject  tmto  the  higher  Powers. 

office,  drop  the  reins  of  government,  whether  in  the  family  or 
the  state,  and  idly  look  on  while  the  children  and  domestics 
ruled  the  house,  or  the  subjects  did  evil  at  their  pleasure." 

Again  he  says,  in  another  passage,  "  You  ask  whether  it  be 
lawful  for  a  Christian  to  wield  the  temporal  sword  and  punish 
evil-doers,  seeing  that  Christ  has  so  plainly  and  peremptorily 
told  us  not  to  resist  evil  that  the  sophists  have  thought  them- 
selves obliged  to  make  a  maxim  of  it  ?  I  answer  thus,  You 
have  two  things  inculcated — one,  that  among  real  Christians 
the  sword  can  have  no  place,  and  therefore  you  cannot  wield 
it  either  over  or  yet  among  them,  because  it  is  not  needed. 
For  that  reason  you  must  transfer  your  question  elsewhere  to 
the  great  mass  who  are  not  Christians,  and  ask.  Can  you  as  a 
Christian  use  it  there  ?  The  other  thing  inculcated  is,  that 
you  are  bound  to  be  serviceable  to  the  sword,  and  help  it  in 
every  way  you  can  with  your  body  and  soul,  your  wealth  and 
credit,  because,  although  this  be  a  work  of  which  you  yourself 
have  no  need,  it  is  of  the  utmost  use  and  necessity  to  the  world 
at  large  and  to  thy  neighbour.  Accordingly,  if  thou  see  that 
there  is  a  lack  of  hangmen,  constables,  judges,  magistrates,  and 
princes,  and  find  thyself  competent  for  any  such  employment, 
it  is  thy  duty  to  undertake  and  apply  for  it,  in  order  that  the 
necessary  power  may  not  be  despised,  nor  wax  feeble  and 
perish,  for  the  world  neither  can  nor  will  perform  such  service 
with  success.  Thy  inducement  should  be  that,  in  this  case, 
thou  enterest  upon  a  wholly  foreign  service  and  labour  which 
is  of  no  benefit  to  thyself,  either  as  regards  fortune  or  honour, 
but  is  beneficial  to  thy  neighbour  and  other  men,  and  that  thou 
undertakest  it  for  that  reason,  and  without  any  view  of  aveng- 
ing thyself  or  recompensing  evil  for  evil.  So  far  as  thou  thyself 
art  concerned,  thou  adherest  to  the  Gospel  and  compliest  with 
the  Word  of  Christ,  turning  to  him  who  smites  thee  on  the  one 
cheek  the  other  also,  and  allowing  him  who  has  taken  away 
thy  cloak  to  take  also  thy  coat,  wherever  thou  and  thine  own 
interest  only  are  concerned.  In  this  way  the  two  things  agree 
nicely  with  each  other :  thou  satisfiest  at  once  the  kingdom  of 


I 


56.  Be  subject  tcnto  the  higher  Powers.  365 

God  and  the  kingdom  of  the  world,  and  that  both  inwardly 
and  outwardly  —  submitting  to  evil  and  injustice,  and  at 
the  same  time  punishing  both;  resisting,  and  at  the  same 
time  not  resisting,  evil ;  for  in  the  one  case  thou  lookest  to 
thyself  and  to  thine  own  things,  and  in  the  other  to  thy 
neighbour  and  to  his  things.  In  this  way  have  all  the  saints, 
from  the  beginning  of  the  world,  wielded  the  sword — Adam 
and  his  whole  posterity.  So  did  Abraham  wield  it  when  he 
rescued  Lot,  his  brother's  son,  and  smote  the  four  kings,  ^ 
although  he  was  in  every  respect  an  evangelical  man.  So,  too, 
did  the  holy  prophet  Sanmel  ^\\en  he  slew  Agag;^  and  so  did 
Elijah,  when  he  put  to  death  the  prophets  of  Baal.^  In  the 
same  way  the  sword  was  wielded  by  Moses  and  Joshua,  and 
the  children  of  Israel,  Samson,  David,  and  all  the  kings  and 
princes  of  the  Old  Testament ;  and  the  same  may  be  said  of 
Daniel  and  his  companions  Hananiah,  Mishael,  and  Azariah 
at  Babylon,  and  Hkewise  Joseph  in  Egypt ;  and  so  on.  Were 
any  one,  however,  to  allege  that  the  Old  Testament  has 
been  abrogated,  and  is  no  longer  of  any  force,  and  therefore 
that  such  examples  may  not  be  set  up  for  Christians  to  imitate, 
I  answer  that  such  is  not  the  case,  and  that  we  can  also  prove 
our  point  by  the  New  Testament.  John  the  Baptist"^  is  there 
a  notable  instance,  for  without  doubt  it  behoved  him  to  testify 
and  show  forth  and  teach  concerning  Christ.  In  other  words, 
it  behoved  his  doctrine  to  be  purely  evangelical,  inasmuch  as 
he  was  commissioned  to  prepare  for  the  Lord  a  righteous  and 
obedient  people.  Now  this  same  John  sanctions  the  office  of 
soldiers,  telling  them  to  be  cofitent  with  their  wages;  whereas,  if 
it  had  been  unchristian  to  wield  the  sword,  he  would  have 
reproved  them  for  doing  so,  and  ordered  them  to  cast  away 
both  it  and  their  pay,  otherwise  he  would  not  have  rightly 
instructed  them  in  the  requirements  of  Christianity.  St  Peter 
also,  when  he  preached  Christ  to  Cornelius^'  did  not  tell  him 
to  resign  his  commission,  which  he  ought  to  have  done,  sup- 

^  Gen.  xiv,  14,  15.  ^  i  Sam.  xv.  33.  ^  j  Kings,  xviii.  40. 

*  Luke,  iii.  14.  ^  Acts,  x.  34. 


366  56.  Be  subject  unto  the  higher  Powers. 

posing  it  had  been  any  hindrance  to  his  status  as  a  Christian. 
Moreover,  it  was  before  Cornelius  was  baptised  that  the  Holy 
Ghost  came  upon  him ;  and  even  before  the  discourse  of  St 
Peter  that  St  Luke  praises  him  as  a  righteous  man,  and  does 
not  blame  him  for  being  the  captain  of  soldiers  in  the  pay  of  a 
heathen  emperor. ,  We  have  a  similar  example  in  the  Ethiopian 
eimuch^  whom  the  evangelist  Philip  converted  and  baptised, 
permitting  him  to  retain  his  office  and  to  return  home.  And 
yet,  without  the  power  of  the  sword,  the  eunuch  could  not  have 
been  so  efficient  an  officer  to  his  queen.  The  same  was  like- 
wise the  case  with  Paulus  Sergiiis^  the  deputy  in  Cyprus,  whom 
Paul  converted,  and  yet  allowed  to  retain  his  military  command 
over  the  heathen.  The  same  was  done  by  many  holy  martyrs 
who  were  obedient  to  the  emperors  at  Rome,  went  to  war 
under  them,  and  doubtless  also  slew  many  in  order  to  maintain 
peace,  as  is  related  of  St  Maurice,  Achatius,  Gereon,  and 
many  more  under  the  Emperor  Julian.  But,  over  and  above, 
here  lies  a  clear  and  strong  textof  StPaul,^who  says,  '  The  powers 
that  be  are  ordained  of  God ;^  likewise  that  the  ruler  beareth  not 
the  sword  in  vain,  but  is  God's  minister^  an  avenger  to  execute 
wrath  upon  him  who  doeth  evil.''  My  friend,  be  not  so  impious 
as  to  say  that  a  Christian  ought  not  to  engage  in  what  is 
essentially  a  work  commanded  and  instituted  by  Godj  for 
then  must  thou  also  affirm  that  a  Christian  should  not  eat  and 
drink  nor  marry  a  wife.  That  is  equally  God's  work  and 
ordinance ;  and  if  it  be  so,  then  it  is  good  :  and  it  is  also  good 
that  a  man  use  it  in  a  Christian  way,  and  for  his  salvation, 
according  to  the  saying  of  St  Paul,  '  Every  creature  of  God  is 
good,  and  nothing  to  be  refused  by  those  who  believe  and 
know  the  truth.' ^  Among  the  things  which  God  hath  created 
you  must  not  include  merely  meat  and  drink,  and  clothes  and 
shoes,  but  also  magistracy  and  subjection,  protection  and 
punishment ;  and  to  sum  up  all,  seeing  that  St  Paul  here  tells 
us  that  the  ruling  power  is  the  minister  of  God,  it  must  not  be 
left  to  the  heathen  alone,  but  exercised  by  all  men.  When  it 
1  Acts,  viii.  39.        2  p^qxs,  xiii.  7,  12.        3  Rom.  xiii.  i.        '^  i  Tim.  iv.  4. 


56.  Be  subject  tmto  the  higher  Powers.  367 

is  said  that  it  is  the  minister  of  God,  what  else  is  meant  but 
that  it  is  by  nature  of  a  kind  capable  of  being  used  in  His 
service  ?  It  would  be  a  very  unchristian  style  of  speech  were 
we  to  affirm  that  there  was  any  way  of  serving  God  which  a 
Christian  man  could  not,  or  ought  not  to  adopt,  seeing  that  the 
service  of  God  is  proper  for  no  one  so  much  as  for  a  Christian  ; 
and  it  were  a  happy  and  a  needful  thing  if  all  princes  were 
really  good  Christians — for  to  such,  in  preference  to  all  other 
persons  in  the  world,  do  the  use  of  the  sword  and  the  exercise 
of  power  belong  as  a  peculiar  divine  worship.  And  thus  it 
stands  indisputably  firm  and  beyond  all  misapprehension  that, 

For  God's  own  word  and  Fatherland, 
'Tis  right  to  take  the  sword  in  ha?id." 

Verse  5.     "  Wherefore  ye  must  needs  be  subject,  not  only 
for  wrath,  but  also  for  conscience'  sake." 

Inasmuch  as  the  magistracy  has  been  deemed  worthy  by 
God  Himself  of  so  high  a  vocation — inasmuch  as  they  have 
not  taken  to  themselves  the  sword,  but  have  had  it  put  into 
their  hand  by  Almighty  God,  it  is  the  more  n^QdSyil,  for  co7i- 
scienci  sake,  to  be  subject  to  them.  If  thou  wert  subject  to  a 
robber  who  had  unexpectedly  got  thee  into  his  power,  and 
shouldst  obey  his  commands,  thou  wouldst  do  so  from  the 
mere  fear  of  punishment,  for  into  his  hands  Almighty  God 
has  not  put  the  sword ;  nor  is  it  in  the  service  of  divine  justice 
that  he  wields  it.  If,  however,  thou  permittest  thy  property 
to  be  taken  by  an  unrighteous  magistracy  without  lifting  thy 
hand,  thou  doest  it  in  the  same  way  as  a  child  submits  to 
many  an  injustice  on  the  part  of  his  father  when  angry,  and 
submits  for  this  reason,  that  God  hath  given  to  his  father  a 
father's  authority.  And  as  Paul  here  requires  us  to  be  subject 
for  conscience'  sake,  so  does  St  Peter  likewise  exhort, 
"  Submit  yourselves  to  every  ordinance  of  man  for  the  Lord's 
saker  1 

1  I  Peter,  ii.  13. 


368  $6.  Be  subject  wito  the  higher  Powers. 

Verses  6,  7.  "  For  this  cause  pay  ye  tribute  also  :  for  they 
are  God's  ministers,  attending  continually  upon  this  very 
thing.  Render  therefore  to  all  their  dues  :  tribute  to 
whom  tribute  is  due  ;  custom  to  whom  custom ;  fear  to 
whom  fear  ;  honour  to  whom  honour." 

This  is  the  lesson  which  Christ  the  Lord  also  taught  when 
He  looked  upon  the  penny  imprinted  with  the  emperor's  im- 
age and  said,  "  Render  unto  Caesar  the  things  that  are  Caesar's, 
and  unto  God  the  things  that  are  God's."  ^  And  the  drift  of 
His  words  was  this  :  The  bit  of  metal  on  which  the  emperor 
has  caused  his  image  to  be  stamped  testifies  thereby  that  it  is 
the  emperor's,  and  may  be  given  back  to  him  ;  but  a  totally 
different  image — the  image  of  Almighty  God — has  been  im- 
printed upon  the  human  heart ;  and  testifying  as  that  does 
that  it  belongs  exclusively  to  Him,  the  human  heart  is  subject 
to  no  other  power,  and  must  serve  Him  alone. 

Oh  how  cheerfully  will  a  faithful  subject  pay  tribute  and 
custom  to  the  ruling  powers  when  he  reflects  on  all  the  care 
and  watching  which  they  must  endure  for  him  !  And  not 
only  so,  but  he  ought  also  to  reflect  that  proportionally  to  their 
lack  of  care  and  watching  will  one  day  be  the  severity  of  the 
punishjuent  which  they  shall  suffer^  for  unto  whomsoever  miich 
is  given,  of  hi7n  shall  much  be  required.  By  thoughts  like  these 
the  heart  of  subjects  wifl  no  doubt  be  reverently  and  affec- 
tionately inclined  towards  the  magistracy ;  and  if  not,  then 
surely  by  a  regard  to  their  own  interest,  when  they  reflect  how 
unspeakably  great  are  the  benefits  they  enjoy  under  an  upright 
and  judicious  magistracy,  as  Luther  writes  in  his  Catechism, 
"  It  is  above  all  things  necessary  that  we  should  pray  for  civil 
magistrates  and  rulers,  seeing  that  it  is  by  them  that  God  pro- 
vides for  the  continuance  of  our  daily  bread  and  ah  our  com- 
fort in  this  life.  For  although  we  have  received  from  Him  all 
manner  of  good  things  in  abundance,  yet  none  of  them  can 
we  keep,  or  safely  and  cheerfully  use,  unless  He  give  us  also  a 

1  Matt.  xxii.  21. 


56.  Be  subject  tmto  the  higher  Powers.  369 

steadfast  and  quiet  government;  because  when  there  is  dis- 
peace,  enmity,  and  war,  our  daily  bread  is  taken  away  or 
wholly  withheld.  For  this  reason  it  would  be  a  proper  thing 
to  set  a  loaf  as  an  ensign  upon  the  escutcheon  of  every  pious 
sovereign,  or  to  stamp  it  as  a  figure  upon  his  money,  in  order 
to  remind  both  sovereigns  and  subjects  that  it  is  through  their 
office  that  we  enjoy  both  protection  and  peace,  and  that  with- 
out these  we  could  neither  enjoy,  obtain,  nor  continue  to 
possess  daily  bread  ! " 

Yes,  verily,  ye  princes  of  the  earth  !  whoever  considers  how 
great  and  important  is  the  trust  committed  to  your  hands, 
must  needs  heartily  pray  for  you.  And  what  is  the  boon  that 
I  ought  to  supplicate  on  your  behalf?  I  would  fain  ask 
nothing  more  than  that  the  Holy  Spirit  would  give  you  fully  to 
comprehend  what  the  words.  By  the  grace  of  God,  which  your 
hand  so  often  indites,  really  signify.  Then  would  all  be  well. 
This  would  make  you  little  and  it  would  make  you  great.  It 
would  give  you  an  eye  turned  upwards  to  supplicate,  and  an 
eye  turned  downwards  to  bless.  It  would  give  you  a  kingly 
heart,  serious  and  gentle,  like  that  of  the  King  of  kings,  by 
whom  you  have  been  enthroned. 

Thou  King  of  kings,  on  whose  dread  sceptre  grow, 
As  shoots,  the  sceptres  of  all  kings  below, 
The  proud  ones  who  their  sovereign's  rights  disdain, 
Curb  and  restrain. 

Honour  to  monarchs  !    We  shall  be  what  they 
Now  are,  and  on  the  earth  made  new  one  day, 
Of  higher  dignities  than  here  are  theirs, 
Shall  all  be  heirs. 

If  he  with  justice  gird  his  loins,  and  sway 
His  sceptre  for  the  public  weal  alway, 
Down  at  the  monarch's  feet  submissive  fall 
His  brethren  all. 

Not  to  the  throned  and  sceptred  mortal  bends 
Their  knee,  but  to  the  Infinite,  who  sends. 
To  guard  the  rights  of  His  eternal  crown, 
His  servant  down. 

2  A 


370  ^y.  Let  every  Man  abide  m  his  Calling. 

Lord,  on  his  heart,  the  elected  of  his  race, 
As  with  an  iron  pen  this  lesson  trace, 
That  Thine  the  crowns,  and  Thine  the  wholesome  dread 
By  sceptres  bred. 

Unite  again  the  Shepherd  and  the  sheep ; 
Rule  Thou  the  rulers,  and  from  evil  keep  ; 
To  melt  all  hearts,  and  all  in  one  to  blend, 
Thy  Spirit  send. 


57. 

Het  £b£r2  fHan  abtt»e  fit  ?jis  falling. 

A  chamber  may  be  mean  a7id poor. 
But  if  adorned  with  furniture 
Selected  with  judicious  taste, 
The  owner  will  not  be  disgraced. 
And  even  so  the  humblest  trade 
Is  high  and  hotiourable  made 
When  all  from  LOVE  to  God  is  done, 
A  fid  at  His  glory  aimed  alone. 

Gen.  i.  27,  28.     "God  created  man  in  His  own  image,  in 

the  image  of  God   created   He   him And 

said,  Replenish  the  earth,  and  subdue  it;  and  have 
dominion  over  the  fish  of  the  sea,  and  over  the  fowl  of 
the  air,  and  over  every  living  thing  that  moveth  upon  the 
earth." 

I  Cor.  vii.  20.  "  Let  every  man  abide  in  the  same  calling 
wherein  he  was  called." 

EccLus.  xlii.  24,  25.  "All  things  are  double,  one  against 
another,  and  He  hath  made  nothing  imperfect.  One 
thing  establisheth  the  good  of  another,  and  who  shall  be 
filled  with  beholding  His  glory." 

EccLES.  vi.  7.  "  All  the  labour  of  man  is  for  his  mouth, 
and  yet  the  appetite  is  not  filled." 


57-  Let  eveiy  Man  abide  in  his  Calling.  371 

MY  God  and  Father,  give  me  wisdom,  that  I  may  learn 
more  and  more  how  to  conduct  myself,  even  in  my 
temporal  calling,  so  as  to  please  Thee.  There  are  many  to 
whom  it  is  one  of  the  hardest  points  in  Christianity  to  abide 
in  the  right  path.  When  I  first  began  seriously  to  reflect  what 
were  the  requirements  of  my  profession,  a  voice  whispered  in 
my  ear,  "  They  that  will  be  rich  fall  into  temptation  and  a 
snare."  ^  And  even  when  I  said  to  myself,  it  is  not  because 
I  wish  to  be  rich  that  I  labour,  the  voice  rejoined,  "  One  thing 
is  needful,  and  Mary  hath  chosen  that  good  part."  If  I  then 
for  a  little  let  my  business  go  its  own  way,  another  monitor 
addressed  me  saying,  "  Ought  he  who  has  once  beeti  called  to  a 
profession  to  withdraw  his  shoulder  from  the  yoke  ?  "  Upon 
this  subject  I  have  pondered  long,  and  find  that  a  man's  sta- 
tion and  calling  may  be  looked  upon  in  a  threefold  aspect. 

In  the  Romish  Church  the  notion  has  sometimes  been  en- 
tertained that  the  laity  are  identical  with  the  world,  and  that 
none  but  the  ecclesiastical  order  are  dear  children  of  God. 
Nor  are  the  instances  few  of  kings  and  princes  on  the  eve  of 
their  decease  putting  on  the  monkish  habit,  as  if  it  were  an 
Elijah's  mantle  in  which  they  could  fly  direct  to  heaven. 
Luther  tells  us  of  a  picture  he  had  seen,  in  which  there  was 
a  ship  called  The  Holy  Catholic  Church,  and  embarked  in  it 
were  the  Pope  and  his  clergy,  but  not  a  single  layman,  not 
even  a  prince  or  a  king.  These  were  represented  swimming 
about  in  the  water,  and  were  merely  drawn  towards  the  ship 
by  cords  and  ropes  thrown  out  to  them  by  the  holy  fathers. 
Wherever  such  an  error  actually  prevailed,  what  unhallowed 
confusion  and  bitter  misery  it  must  necessarily  have  produced ! 
Let  it  once  be  forgotten  that  man  is  a  plant  which  no  doubt 
stretches  its  top  towards  heaven,  but  which  must  at  the  same 
time  remain  fixed  by  its  roots  to  the  earth,  and  then  even  the 
clergy  might  come  at  last  to  fancy  that  they  were  no  longer 
a  sufficiently  sacred  order,  and  all  mankind  might  long  to  put 
on  the  monkish  cowl.     That  the  laity,  however,  are  by  no 

1  X  Tim.  vi.  g. 


372  57-  Let  every  Man  abide  in  his  Calling. 

means  so  low  and  contemptible  a  class,  may  be  inferred  from 
the  fact  that  long  after  the  holy  apostles  became  fishers  of  men, 
they  continued,  at  least  occasionally,  ^  to  follow  the  fisher's 
trade ;  and  that  St  Paul  was  not  ashamed  of  being  a  weaver 
of  carpets  as  well  as  a  preacher  of  the  Gospel.  It  would  also 
appear  that  the  first  teachers  of  the  Christian  Church  were  far 
from  considering  the  exercise  of  a  handicraft  beneath  their 
dignity  ;  for  all  to  which  the  apostle  exhorts  them  is  that  their 
trades  should  not  be  disrepictable!^  It  is  even  credible  that, 
as  the  people  called  Him  "  the  Carpenter ^^  ^  our  Lord  Him- 
self did  not  in  His  youth  disdain  to  practise  that  handicraft. 
To  this  effect  Luther  relates  the  following  story  :  "  A  certain 
bishop  was  curious  to  know  how  Jesus  used  to  employ  Him- 
self when  a  youth ;  and  to  him  a  dream  was  vouchsafed,  in 
which  he  saw  a  little  boy  gathering  chips  and  shavings  of 
wood,  and  at  the  hour  of  dinner  calling  his  father  to  table, 
and  asking  his  mother, '  Shall  I  also  bid  the  other  man  come? ' 
at  which  the  bishop  was  frightened  'and  awoke."  I  myself 
believe  that  in  His  boyhood  the  little  Jesus,  like  any  other 
dutiful  child,  helped  His  mother  in  her  domestic  labours,  and 
was  sometimes  sent  to  the  well  for  water — nay,  perhaps  some- 
times to  the  shop  for  wine ;  and  this  may  have  been  the  reason 
why,  at  the  marriage  in  Cana,  where  the  supply  of  it  was  in- 
sufficient. His  mother  applied  to  Him  as  on  former  occasions 
she  had  often  done.  There  is  another  story  in  the  lives  of 
the  old  fathers,  and  about  the  time  when  they  began  to  look 
upon  the  habit  of  a  monk  or  hermit  as  a  certain  passport  to 
the  heavenly  Jerusalem,  which  teaches  in  an  admirable  way 
that  the  Christian  whose  lot  in  life  is  to  wield  the  awl  and 
bodkin  is  held  by  the  Lord  in  far  higher  esteem  than  the 
shavehng  or  the  capuchin.  The  story  runs  thus  :  One  day  while 
St  Anthony  was  praying  in  his  cell,  he  heard  a  voice  saying, 
"  Anthony,  in  spite  of  the  austerity  of  thy  life,  thou  art  not 
worthy  of  being  compared  to  the  cobbler  of  Alexandria."     On 

1  John,  i.  42  ;  Luke,  v.  i ;  John,  xxi.  i, 

2  I  Tim.  iii.  3  ;  Titus,  i.  7.  3  Mark,  vi.  3. 


5/.  Let  every  Man  abide  in  his  Calling.  373 

hearing  this  the  saint  rose  early  in  the  morning,  took  staff  in 
hand,  and  set  off  in  great  haste  for  the  city.  There  he  pre- 
sented himself  to  the  cobbler  to  whom  the  voice  referred,  but 
who  was  overcome  with  terror  when  so  great  and  eminent 
a  saint  appeared  before  him.  "  Come  tell  me,  friend,"  said 
Anthony,  ''  what  are  the  good  works  which  you  are  in  use  to 
perform,  for  it  is  on  thy  account  that  I  have  left  my  cell  and 
travelled  the  long  way  from  the  desert  ?  "  To  this  the  cobbler 
replied,  "  I  know  of  no  good  work  which  I  have  performed, 
save  that  in  the  morning  when  I  leave  my  bedchamber  I  say 
to  myself,  '  All  the  people  of  this  city,  both  small  and  great, 
will  be  admitted  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  for  they  are 
more  righteous  than  I ;  and  well  should  I  deserve  eternal 
punishment  on  account  of  my  sins  if  I  did  not  believe  that 
through  the  mercy  of  my  God  I  shall  be  saved  J  These  same 
words  I  also  repeat  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart  at  night 
before  I  lay  me  down  to  rest."  On  hearing  this  St  Anthony 
exclaimed,  "  Verily,  my  son,  you  sit  at  home,  and,  like  a  skil- 
ful master,  attain  at  your  ease  to  the  kingdom  of  heaven; 
whereas  I,  who  have  spent  my  life  and  endured  many  toils 
and  dangers  in  the  desert,  have  not  yet  arrived  at  such  pro- 
ficiency that  I  can  compare  the  life  I  lead  with  that  which 
you  have  now  described." 

Again,  there  are  others  who  do  not,  indeed,  despise  the 
temporal  occupation  to  which  the  Lord  has  called  them,  but 
who  regard  it  merely  as  a  wholesome  penance,  just  as  some 
ambitious  man  might  do  the  task,  if  such  were  allotted  to  him, 
of  splitting  a  heap  of  firewood,  and  in  whose  opinion  there 
is  no  trade  or  business  upon  earth  which  it  is  worth  a  man's 
while  even  to  touch  with  his  finger  save  that  of  saving  the 
so^l.  Now  no  doubt  the  son  of  Sirach  has  said,  ''  A  yoke 
and  a  collar  doth  bow  the  neck,  so  are  tortures  and  torments 
for  an  evil  servant ; "  ^  and  quite  true  it  is  that  we  are  one  and 
all  of  us  evil  servants,  and  that  many  trades  do  make  the  evil 
servant  feel  the  yoke  and  rod  to  be  very  heavy.     This,  how- 

1  Ecclus.  xxxiii.  26. 


374  S7'  ^^^  every  Man  abide  in  his  Calling. 

ever,  is  by  no  means  the  case  with  every  trade.  On  the  con- 
trary, many  of  the  common  arts  and  handicrafts  are  capable 
of  being  used  for  some  better  purpose  than  that  for  which 
a  clog  is  tied  to  the  neck  of  an  evil  servant.  What  profitable 
service  have  some  of  the  fine  arts  rendered  to  religion  !  Is  it 
not  a  beautiful  testimony  which  Luther  gives  to  music  when 
he  says  :  "  Music  is  half  a  preceptress  and  teacher  of  morals, 
for  it  makes  people  more  gentle  and  patient,  well-bred,  and 
intelligent.  He  who  despises  music,  as  all  fanatics  do,  is  one 
of  whom  I  cannot  think  well ;  for  it  is  a  gift  and  benefit  from 
God,  and  not  a  thing  for  which  we  are  indebted  to  man.  It 
drives  out  the  devil  and  promotes  hilarity  ;  while  hstening  to 
it  we  forget  wrath,  incontinence,  and  other  vices.  Next  to 
theology  I  pay  the  highest  honour  to  music  "  ?  Ought  we  not 
also  to  vouchsafe  equal  praise  to  painting,  engraving,  archi- 
tecture, and  many  other  arts,  which  may  be  made  subservient 
in  so  delightful  a  way  to  the  glory  of  God?  Nay,  shall  not 
some  measure  of  such  arts  in  a  different  fashion  than  is  here 
in  use  among  men  find  a  place  in  the  blessed  kingdom  of 
heaven  ?  for  there,  as  the  Apocalypse  of  St  John  informs  us, 
the  harps  shall  sound  far  more  sweetly  than  on  earth  in  hymns 
of  praise  to  God.^  To  the  same  effect  is  the  following  inci- 
dent related  to  us  respecting  Luther:  In  the  year  1538,  and 
on  the  17th  day  of  September,  he  entertained  the  singers  in 
his  choir,  and  after  hearing  them  execute  several  charming 
motets,  expressed  his  admiration  in  these  words,  — "  Seeing 
that  the  Lord  our  God  has  shed  down  into  this  present  life — 
which  is  but  a  dunghill — such  noble  gifts,  and  endowed  us 
with  them,  what  will  He  not  do  in  the  life  eternal,  where  all, 
of  which  we  have  here  the  bare  rudiments,  shall  have  attained 
to  the  highest  and  most  delectable  perfection  ?  " 

And  if  the  higher  arts  are  hallowed  by  the  service  which 
they  render  to  the  sanctuary,  why  not  likewise  every  trade 
which  is  required  for  the  same  purpose?  It  is  not  merely 
architects  and  painters   that  are  needed  for  the  building  of 

1  Rev.  xiv.  2. 


57-  Let  every  Man  abide  in  his  Calling.  375 

a  church,  but  carpenters  and  smiths,  and  other  kinds  of  work- 
men. To  this  effect  Moses  says  of  the  skilful  artisans  who 
were  employed  in  the  construction  of  the  tabernacle:  "See, 
the  Lord  hath  called  by  name  Bezaleel  the  son  of  Uri,  the  son 
of  Hur,  of  the  tribe  of  Judah ;  and  He  hath  filled  him  with  the 
Spirit  of  God,  in  wisdom,  in  understanding,  and  in  knowledge, 
and  in  all  manner  of  workmanship;  and  to  devise  curious 
works,  to  work  in  gold,  and  in  silver,  and  in  brass,  and  in  the 
cutting  of  stones,  to  set  them,  and  in  carving  of  wood,  to  make 
any  manner  of  cunning  work.  And  He  hath  put  in  his  heart 
that  he  may  teach,  both  he,  and  Aholiab  the  son  of  Ahisa- 
mach.  Them  hath  He  filled  with  wisdom  of  heart,  to  work 
all  manner  of  work,  of  the  engraver,  and  of  the  cunning  work- 
man, and  of  the  embroiderer,  in  blue,  and  in  purple,  in  scarlet, 
and  in  fine  linen,  and  of  the  weaver,  even  of  them  that  do  any 
work,  and  of  those  that  devise  cunning  work."  ^  According, 
therefore,  to  the  doctrine  of  this  passage,  the  Spii'it  of  God  is 
the  Giver,  even  when  the  gift  consists  of  insight  and  practical 
skill  in  the  arts;  and  how  can  the  gift  of  such  a  Giver  be 
cheaply  rated,  or  looked  upon  merely  as  a  burden  and  a  toil  ? 
Much  more  does  it  reveal  to  us  the  presence  in  man  of  that 
divine  breath  which  elevates  him  above  the  brutes.  Many 
who  have  visited  the  settlements  of  the  Moravians,  and  seen 
their  streets  and  gardens,  but  especially  their  graveyards,  must 
have  felt  how  the  breath  of  God,  when  it  is  in  men's  hearts, 
can  communicate  itself  to  their  houses,  offices,  and  grounds, 
and  shed  over  them  a  tranquil  calm.  And  if  the  peace  of 
God  within  us  reflects  itself  in  the  flesh  of  the  countenance, 
and  there  takes  a  visible  shape,  why  not  also  in  a  man's  handi- 
work— in  the  plan  of  his  house  and  the  laying  out  of  his 
garden?  Nay,  are  not  even  habits  of  order  and  cleanliness 
a  mirror  of  his  soul,  and  equally  so  the  soundness,  durability, 
and  elegance  of  any  article  which  he  manufactures  ?  A  trade 
and  a  calling,  therefore,  are  something  more  than  the  bit  and 
bridle  in  the  mouth  of  a  horse,  or  the  yoke  upon  the  neck  of 

1  Exod.  XXXV.  30-35. 


IjG  57.  Let  eveiy  Man  abide  in  his  Calling. 

an  ox,  and  must  be  designed  for  some  better  purpose  than 
merely  to  tame  the  old  Adam. 

I  am  of  opinion  that  they  are  right  who  affirm  that  divine 
wisdom  has  ordained  the  trades  and  professions  of  this  earth 
for  three  wise  purposes.  In  the  first  place,  that  craftsmen  and 
artists  may  devise  ever  more  and  more  beautiful  and  perfect 
forms  with  which  to  invest  matter  to  the  glory  of  God,  who 
has  endowed  the  spirit  of  man  with  such  skill  and  knowledge ; 
secondly,  to  exercise  our  brotherly  love  in  making  life  more 
pleasing  and  delightful,  inasmuch  as  in  such  matters  we  must 
be  mutually  beholden  to  each  other ;  and  finally,  for  the  fur- 
therance and  accomplishment,  as  far  as  practicable,  of  wise 
and  pious  designs  both  in  civil  life  and  in  the  Church,  whether 
tending  to  the  welfare  of  the  body  or  to  that  of  the  soul. 

When  I  regard  the  subject  in  this  light,  it  appears  to  me  to 
be  the  duty  of  all  men,  whatever  be  their  trade  or  calling,  to 
lay  out  their  intelligence  and  skill  to  the  best  advantage,  in 
order  that  each  may  perfect  himself  in  his  particular  line ;  and 
this,  as  would  be  easy  to  show,  may  be  done  not  only  without 
pride  and  worldly-mindedness,  but,  on  the  contrary,  from  love 
to  God  and  the  brethren,  and  a  regard  to  the  public  good.  The 
lovelier  the  shape  which  a  craftsman  can  give  to  his  handi- 
work, and  the  more  beautiful  and  ingenious  the  creations  of 
the  artist's  skill,  so  much  the  more  abundant  is  the  praise 
which  accrues  to  the  Spirit  from  on  high,  from  whom  all  good 
gifts,  and  this  among  the  rest,  come  down.  As  Luther  once 
said  in  commendation  of  his  musician,  Master  Sanftel :  "  Such 
a  motet  I  could  not  make  though  I  were  to  be  torn  limb  from 
limb ;  just  as,  on  the  other  hand,  neither  could  he  expound 
a  psalm  as  well  as  I ;  and  so  the  gifts  of  the  Spirit  are  mani- 
fold, just  as  are  the  members  of  the  body." 

The  better  and  more  serviceable  the  articles  are  which  one 
Christian  furnishes  to  another, — the  wholesomer  the  bread 
which  the  baker  bakes — the  more  firmly  the  architect  lays  the 
foundation  of  the  house  which  he  builds — the  more  expedi- 
tiously and  largely  the  merchant  procures  the  commodities  of 


5/.  Let  eveiy  Man  abide  in  his  Calling.  2)77 

other  countries  for  the  use  and  benefit  of  his  own, — the  more 
in  such  external  services  will  a  regard  for  the  welfare  and  a  de- 
sire in  all  respects  to  consult  the  interests  of  his  brother,  be 
manifested.  In  fine,  the  more  skilful  a  man  becomes  in  dig- 
ging wells,  making  roads,  improving  land,  governing  a  town 
or  managing  its  revenue,  the  better  will  such  Christian  wisdom 
qualify  him  to  promote  the  public  welfare ;  and  if  all  this  spring 
from  a  desire  to  serve  God  and  his  neighbour,  his  daily  work 
will  be  a  work  of  Christian  charity,  and  he  will  no  longer 
require  to  wait  for  special  and  select  occasions  to  exercise  that 
virtue.  Luther  has  said  that  a  married  wife  ought  to  be  con- 
vinced that,  in  her  position,  the  suckling  of  her  babe  and  the 
tending  of  her  children  are  as  certainly  acceptable  to  God  as 
if  He  had  spoken  to  her,  and  expressly  commanded  her  to  do 
it.  In  like  manner,  the  servant-girl  who  sweeps  the  house, 
boils  the  pot,  and  feeds  the  cattle,  ought  to  be  firmly  persuaded 
in  her  mind  that  she  is  walking  according  to  the  divine  com- 
mandment, if  in  these  things  she  faithfully  executes  the  orders 
she  has  received.  And  thus  ought  all  ranks  of  men  to  cherish 
the  confidence  that  it  is  God  who  has  allotted  to  them  their 
several  trades  and  occupations,  and  to  be  contented  each 
with  his  own,  however  bad  it  may  be.  In  that  case  faith 
would  place  all  of  them  upon  a  level,  for  God  pays  no  regard 
to  whether  thine  be  mean  or  noble,  but  only  to  whether  thou 
art  satisfied  with  it,  and  acceptest  it  as  allotted  to  thee  by  Him. 

It  often  happens  that  Christian  souls  find  it  very  hard  to 
reconcile  their  hearts  to  their  vocation ;  and  the  reason,  no 
doubt,  is,  because  their  vocation  runs  side  by  side  with  their 
faith,  charity,  and  hope,  instead  of  issuing  out  of  them.  It 
then  for  certain  becomes  a  species  of  idolatry. 

A  man's  vocation,  however,  and  especially  his  handicraft, 
even  if  that  be  of  the  humblest  sort,  may  and  ought  to  be  a 
priestly  ministry.  In  creating  him,  God  made  man  after  His 
own  image,  and  thereby  appointed  him  to  have  dominion  over 
the  earth.  1  And  is  it  not  an  exercise  of  this  dominion  when 
^  Gen.  i.  26. 


3/8  57-  ^^^  every  Man  abide  in  his  Calling. 

the  eye  of  intelligence  penetrates  with  ever-growing  insight  into 
all  that  the  earth  produces  on  its  surface  or  hides  in  its  depths  ? 
When  the  resistance  of  matter  is  overcome ;  when  the  elements 
are  subjugated ;  when  the  products  and  commodities  of  distant 
countries  are  brought  together  and  exchanged,  or  made  sub- 
servient to  spiritual  purposes  and  designs  ;  when  spirit  operates 
and  puts  its  impress  upon  them  -,  and  when,  to  crown  all,  that 
spirit  subjects  itself  in  everything  to  the  guidance  of  the  Lord, 
so  that  all  is  done  in  humality,  according  to  the  pattern  of  the 
divine  purposes,  under  the  incitement  of  divine  love,  and  to 
the  glory  of  Him  to  whom  alone  all  glory  belongs,  the  God 
"  from  whom  cometh  down  every  good  and  perfect  gift," — in 
order  to  this  result,  the  labourer  and  hireling  are  as  indispens- 
able in  their  place  as  the  philosopher  and  the  artist. 

Oh  how  soon  would  Christianity  come  into  good  repute  were 
it  found  that  in  every  town  the  Christian  tailors  were  the 
cleverest  and  most  industrious,  the  Christian  watchmakers  the 
most  ingenious  and  skilful,  the  Christian  servants  the  most 
faithful  and  attentive,  the  Christian  painters  and  musicians  the 
most  proficient,  the  Christian  functionaries  the  most  active 
and  intelligent, — and  so  in  every  other  line  !  It  is  true  that 
such  sedulous  endeavours  after  proficiency  in  our  secular  em- 
ployments are  not  unconnected  with  danger  \  but  the  proverb 
truly  says — 

' '  Learn  to  look  danger  in  the  face, 
Or  at  the  fireside  keep  your  place." 

Let  us,  then,  breathe  a  pious  prayer  and  set  vigorously  to 
work,  remembering  that  he  who  journeys  at  God's  command  has 
God  also  for  his  guide.  Besides,  would  there  be  no  danger 
wert  thou  to  imprison  thyself  with  monks  in  a  cloister,  and  do 
nothing  but  sing  psalms  ?  No,  this  point  I  will  firmly  main- 
tain, that  if  we  have  had  a  real  call  to  our  profession,  we  may 
go  forward  in  it  with  full  confidence  that  we  are  in  the  ways  of 
God. 

I  have  often,  and  with  my  whole  heart,  wished  to  know  how 
much  of  the  business  and  toil  of  the  present  life  will  be  trans- 


57-  Let  every  Man  abide  iji  his  Calling.  379 

lated  with  us  into  the  new  heaven  and  new  earth.  A  great 
man  ^  has  said  that  "  all  we  have  learned  in  this  world  will  be 
of  no  more  use  to  us  when  we  depart  out  of  it  than  the  names 
of  the  streets  of  London."  I  do  not  know,  however,  if  that  be 
true.  It  may  well  be  that  we  think  too  meanly  of  the  earthly 
creatures,  as  of  all  sublunary  things ;  and  that  when  the  dead 
shall  rise,  much  of  the  business  and  employments  which  they 
followed  here  below  will  rise  along  with  them,  and  take  a 
nobler  shape.  Nay,  might  it  not  be  said  that,  were  the  sweat 
wiped  from  the  brow  and  sin  extirpated  from  the.^heart,  the 
work  of  earth  might  be  a  work  of  heaven  ?  The  more  we  con- 
template them  from  this  point  of  view,  the  higher  the  notion 
we  will  be  ready  to  entertain  of  our  pastimes  here  below.  But 
for  the  present  I  agree  with  Luther,  who  said,  that  when  he 
hung  as  a  suckling  on  his  mother's  breast,  little  did  he  know 
what  he  was  afterwards  to  eat  or  drink,  or  what  manner  of  life 
he  would  lead ;  and  far  less  do  we  understand  how  all  that 
will  be  in  the  world  to  come.  In  this  matter  I  will  patiently 
wait,  like  the  children  on  Christmas  Eve,  who  with  hearts  full 
of  confidence  and  hope  stand  behind  the  door  until  the  time 
comes  for  it  to  be  opened,  and  the  tree  with  its  hundred  lights, 
and  all  the  appendages  about  and  upon  it,  bursts  upon  their 
eye  and  fully  satisfies  their  heart ;  meanwhile  I  will  give  heed 
to  the  apostle's  advice,  and  "  use  this  life  as  not  abusing  it." 
Alas! 

Guests  of  a  day  on  earth,  we  here 
Like  fools  attempt  strongholds  to  rear, 
But  take  no  pains  to  build  a  home, 
In  the  eternal  world  to  come. 

Oh  teach  me  to  live  without  abusing  life  ! 

Yes,  help  me,  Lord,  from  day  to  day 

The  appointed  work  to  do, 
And  serve  Thee,  while  on  earth  I  stay, 

With  childlike  heart  and  true. 


1  Leibnitz. 


380  5^-  Be  faithful  iji  tJiat  zvhich  is  least. 

I  hear  so  many  asking  still, 

Why  must  I  so  and  so  ? 
But  when  Thou  sayst,  "  Such  is  mv  will" 

'Tis  all  I  want  to  know. 
True  !  many  a  task  prescribed  by  Thee 

A  feeble  child  might  do  ; 
But,  therefore,  'tis  more  fit  for  me, 

For  I  am  feeble  too. 

And  yet,  however  frail  the  shoot. 

If  from  true  love  it  grow, 
The  virtue  of  that  holy  root 

Its  flower  and  fruit  will  show. 

Does  ought  unlovely  anywhere 

In  nature  meet  the  eye, 
When  of  the  love  of  God  we  there 

The  signature  descry  ? 
And  even  the  work  which  here  below 

My  feeble  hand  achieves, 
If  from  the  same  pure  fount  it  flow, 

Thy  gracious  smile  receives. 
And  when  at  last  the  seed  love  sowed 

On  earth  bears  fruit  above, 
Far  nobler  work  will  be  assigned 

In  those  bright  realms  to  love. 


58. 

Be  faitijful  in  tl^at  'ixi^it]}  is  least. 

Bestir  thy  hands, 
And  any  trade 
Will  earn  thee  bread — 
Not  all  that  greed, 
But  what  thy  fieed. 
Each  day  demands. 

Let  theft  to  toil 
On  earth  the  while 
Thy  HAND  be  given  ; 
But  far  apart 
Make  for  thy  heart 
A  home  in  heaven. 


58.  Be  fait Jif III  in  that  which  is  least.  381 

Psalm  cxxviii.  1,2.  "  Blessed  is  every  one  that  feareth 
the  Lord ;  that  walketh  in  His  ways.  For  thou  shalt  eat 
the  labour  of  thine  hands  :  happy  shalt  thou  be,  and  it 
shall  be  well  with  thee." 

Luke,  xvi.  10.  "He  that  is  faithful  in  that  which  is  least, 
is  faithful  also  in  much;  and  he  that  is  unjust  in  the  least, 
is  unjust  also  in  much." 

LORD,  they  who  are  Thy  children  are  of  a  rank  far  too 
lofty  to  need  to  feel  anxious  about  their  daily  bread. 
All  the  burden  of  such  care  I  cast  upon  Thee,  as  Thou  thyself 
hast  commanded  me  to  do,  and  now  therefore  the  matter  is  in 
Thy  hands.  1  Thou  wilt  not  permit  that  I  should  be  put  to 
shame  before  mine  adversaries,  or  that  they  should  have  cause 
to  say,  See  how  the  Lord  rewardeth  His  servants  !  Never  wilt 
Thou  permit  them  to  open  their  mouth  against  me,  and  cry, 
"Aha,  aha  !  our  eye  hath  seen  it."  ^  Such  was  the  confident 
hope  of  David,  and  it  is  also  mine ;  and  if,  O  mighty  God, 
Thou  hast  in  mercy  connected  Thine  honour  with  the  cause 
of  Thy  poor  servants,  surely  it  would  be  on  our  side  a  grievous 
sin,  were  we  to  fail  to  do  our  part,  and  thereby  put  Thine 
honour  to  hazard.  And  yet  that  sin  we  commit,  when  all  we 
do  is  to  look  up  to  the  clouds,  and  expect  them  to  pour  down 
rain  and  sunshine  upon  us,  while  we  pay  no  attention  to  the 
spade  and  the  plough,  which  here  on  earth  Thou  hast  put  into 
our  hands.  Wise  were  the  men  of  former  days  when  they  said. 
All  depends  on  God's  blessing  ;  but  no  less  wisely  did  they 
say  that  God  helps  those  who  use  their  hands.  They  said, 
moreover.  He  gives  us  the  ox,  but  not  a  hold  of  it  by  the 
horns — meaning  that  we  must  exert  ourselves  in  order  to  sub- 
ject it  to  our  power.  Hence,  in  the  household  of  God  the 
general  maxim  is.  Pray  as  if  thou  didst  not  labour,  and  labour 
as  if  thou  didst  7iot  pray.  To  carry  on  both  simultaneously  is  a 
difficult  task  for  a  being  so  changeable  as  man ;  because,  when 
prayer  is  lively,  labour   grows   languid,  and  when  prayer  is 

^  Psalm  Iv.  22  ;  i  Pet.  v.  7.  2  Psalm  xxxv.  21. 


382  5^.  Be  faithfid  in  that  ivJiich  is  least. 

languid,  labour  becomes  lively.  The  human  heart  revolves 
like  a  wheel,  of  which  one  spoke  goes  down  as  another  goes  up. 

It  is  enough  to  break  one's  heart  to  see  a  man  made  after 
the  divine  image,  and  still  more  if  he  be  a  father,  calling  aloud 
for  bread  to  himself  and  his  children,  and  willing  to  do  his 
part  by  labouring  for  it ;  but  who,  notwithstanding,  fails  to  find 
it,  because  he  can  find  nothing  to  do.  At  such  a  spectacle  the 
weak  in  faith  stumble  and  lose  confidence  in  God,  who  of  old 
time  said,  "  Call  upon  me  in  the  day  of  trouble ;  I  will  deliver 
thee,  and  thou  shalt  glorify  me."  ^  But  may  we  not  be  per- 
mitted to  question  whether  instances  of  this  really  occur,  and 
whether  it  ever  happened  that  any  man  who  had  all  his  life 
long  been  industrious  and  willing  to  earn  his  bread  by  the 
sweat  of  his  brow,  actually  died  of  hunger?  That  it  never 
did,  is  a  bold  statement  to  make  ;  but  what  emboldens  me  to 
make  it  is,  that  one  far  greater  than  I  has  made  it  before  me : 
for  thus  spake  King  David, — "  I  have  been  young,  and  now 
am  old,  yet  have  I  not  seen  the  righteous  forsaken,  nor  his 
seed  begging  bread."  ^ 

Any  exception  to  this  rule,  I  have  always  found,  might  be 
accounted  for  as  follows  :  Either  it  happened  according  to  the 
Preacher's  description,  "  I  went  by  the  field  of  the  slothful, 
and  by  the  vineyard  of  the  man  void  of  understanding;  and, 
lo,  it  was  all  grown  over  with  thorns,  and  nettles  had  covered 
the  face  thereof,  and  the  stone  wall  thereof  was  broken  down  : " 
"  Yet  a  little  sleep,  a  little  slumber,  a  little  folding  of  the  hands 
to  sleep  :  so  shall  thy  poverty  come  as  one  that  travelleth,  and 
thy  want  as  an  armed  man."  ^  Men  reap  as  they  sow.  A  bad 
beginning  makes  a  bad  end.  He  who  plants  thistles  must  not 
expect  to  gather  grapes.  How  needful  for  those  who  are  the 
chief  sufferers  from  indigence  would  be  a  discourse  upon  the 
words  of  the  son  of  Sirach  :  "  When  thou  hast  enough,  remem- 
ber the  time  of  hunger  \  and  when  thou  art  rich,  think  upon 
poverty  and  need  "  !  ^     Persons  of  this  class  never  reflect  that 

1  Psalm  1.  15.  2  Psalm  xxxvii.  25. 

3  Prov.  xxiv.  30-34.  ■*  Ecclus.  xviii.  25. 


58.  Befaithfzd  in  that  which  is  least.  383 

there  will  be  a  to-morrow  after  to-day,  or  that  he  who  eats  his 
whole  loaf  at  breakfast  is  likely  to  have  a  scanty  supper. 
However  much  they  have,  they  use  it  all,  and  when  they  are 
full,  are  idle.  Or  if  not  from  this  cause,  indigence  proceeds 
from  men  having  attem.pted  things  above  their  reach,  and  dis- 
regarded the  proverb — 

"Try  first  to  understand 
The  task  you  take  in  hand  ;  " 

or  the  prudent  advice  of  the  son  of  Sirach  :  "  Meddle  not  with 
many  matters  :  for  if  thou  meddle  much  thou  shall  not  be 
innocent  j  and  if  thou  follow  after,  thou  shalt  not  attain,  neither 
Shalt  thou  escape  by  fleeing." ^  Sometimes  it  is  avarice,  and 
sometimes  ambition,  which  instigates  them  to  attempt  to  fly 
higher  than  their  wings  can  carry ;  and  if  the  issue  be  unfortu- 
nate, who  can  wonder  ? 

"  Whate'er  commences  without  thought 
Is  sure  at  last  to  end  in  nought." 

Probably,  too,  such  want  and  penury  are  a  penal  retribution  for 
many  an  old  error  and  hidden  misdeed,  unknown  to  other  men, 
but  respecting  which  he  who  has  the  yoke  to  bear  is  the  best 
able  to  tell  whence  it  comes,  and  in  how  far  he  bears  it  as  a 
penance ;  and  he  will  also  be  the  last  to  cast  the  blame  of  it 
upon  God.  Oh  how  much  oftener  than  is  ever  suspected,  may 
the  victim  of  such  bitter  penury  be  reaping  tlie  harvest  of  a 
seed  of  evil-doing !  for  it  admits  not  of  a  doubt  that  ill-gotten 
gain  never  prospers,  and  is  dissipated  in  the  way  it  was 
acquired.  Ah  me  !  if  in  the  haunts  of  beggars  the  walls  could 
speak,  would  the  doctrine  which  they  preach  be  different  from 
that  declared  by  the  prophet,  when  he  says  that  "  poverty  and 
shame  shall  be  to  him  that  refuseth  instruction  ;"^  and  that 
"  sin  is  a  destruction  to  any  people"? 

It  cannot  be  that  that  can  come  to  nought  which  the  Word 
of  God  so  often  avers — as,  for  example,  when  it  says  :  "  He 
becometh  poor  that  dealeth  with  a  slack  hand ;  but  the  hand 

1  Ecclus.  xi.  10.  2  Prov.  xiii.  i8. 


384  5  8-  Be  fait hf til  in  that  which  is  least. 

of  the  diligent  maketh  rich ; "  ^  and  "  In  all  labour  there  is 
profit. "2  To  the  same  effect  the  son  of  Sirach  exhorts  :  "  Trust 
in  the  Lord  and  abide  in  thy  labour ;  for  it  is  an  easy  thing  for 
the  Lord,  on  the  sudden,  to  make  a  poor  man  rich."^  As  for 
the  cases  in  which  sickness,  or  war,  or  general  dearth  may 
have  reduced  an  industrious  and  faithful  servant  of  God  to 
bitter  poverty,  such  poverty  will  be  of  temporary  duration ;  for 
in  the  day  of  trouble  the  Lord  will  send  some  friend  to  take 
his  part,  and  not  suffer  him  to  be  tempted  above  that  which  he 
is  able  to  bear,^  but  will  temper  the  cold  to  suit  the  thinness 
of  his  coat.  A  servant  of  the  Lord  who  has  always  maintained 
his  integrity  may  possibly  become/^^r,  but  he  will  never  become 
a  beggar  \  and  of  cheerful  poverty  the  proverb  beautifully  says 
that  "  if  is  riches  without  wealth^''  which  is  consonant  with  the 
saying  of  Solomon  :  ''There  is  that  maketh  himself  rich,  yet 
hath  nothing  ;  there  is  that  maketh  himself  poor,  yet  hath  great 
riches."^  Besides,  it  is  principally  those  He  means  to  favour 
whom  the  Lord  visits  with  poverty,  there  being  so  many  good 
things  of  which  it  is  the  parent  and  the  nurse.  Does  not  the 
proverb  tell  us  that  in  the  school  of  privation  and  hunger  many 
have  acquired  their  learning  ?  and  that  uprightness  and  industry 
cannot  reduce  a  man  to  beggary,  was  well  expressed  by  Luther, 
when  being  asked,  What  was  the  best  investment  ?  he  answered. 
Honesty. 

I  therefore  know  for  certain  that  if  I  do  my  part  the  Lord 
will  never  suffer  me  to  lack  food  and  raiment;  and  when 
along  with  these  He  gives  me  a  cheerful  heart,  what  more 
should  I  desire  ?  At  a  little  fountain  we  can  quench  our  thirst 
as  well  as  at  a  great  one.  I  must  needs,  however,  do  what  is 
my  part,  and  this  implies  that  in  the  everyday  work  allotted 
me  by  the  Lord  I  must  look  upon  nothing  as  too  little,  but 
learn  to  he  faithful  eve?i  in  the  smallest  things.  It  is  related  of 
Luther  that  he  wrote  with  chalk  above  his  fireplace  the  saying 
of  the  Lord,  '•''He  that  is  faithful  in  that  which  is  least,  is  faith- 

1  Prov.  X.  4.  2  Prov.  xiv.  23.  ^  Ecclus.  xi.  21. 

4  I  Cor.  X.  13.  ^  Prov.  xiii.  7. 


58.  Be  fait  J  if  til  in  that  which  is  least.  385 

fid  also  in  much^'  ^  and  assigned  as  the  reason  that  no  one 
who  despises  a  penny  will  ever  possess  a  pound.  Dogs  learn 
to  eat  leather  by  beginning  with  parings,  and  he  who  wastes 
an  hour  will  have  little  scruple  in  wasting  a  whole  day.  As 
the  son  of  Sirach  says,  "  He  that  contemneth  small  things 
shall  fall  by  little  and  little."  ^  Our  Lord  has  told  us  that  He 
holds  faithfulness  in  the  use  of  worldly  wealth  in  the  very 
highest  esteem ;  for  He  adds  in  the  same  passage,  "  If  ye  have 
not  been  faithful  in  the  unrighteous  mammon,  who  will  commit 
to  your  trust  the  true  riches  ?  and  if  ye  have  not  been  faithful 
in  that  which  is  another  man's,  who  will  give  you  that  which 
is  your  own  ?  "  ^  It  is  spiritual  blessings  which  He  here  calls 
the  true  riches^  and  that  which  is  our  ow?i;  and  hence  it  ap- 
pears that  these  will  be  bestowed  in  proportion  to  the  fidelity 
which  has  been  shown  in  the  use  of  worldly  wealth.  We  are 
to  begin  with  little  things;  and  were  Christians  to  take  the 
admonition  seriously  to  heart,  and  were  every  one  in  his  voca- 
tion to  exercise  due  conscientiousness  even  in  the  smallest 
matters,  how  good  a  reputation  would  be  thereby  procured 
for  the  Gospel !  In  truth,  however,  there  is  nothing  so  sad  as 
to  see  men  continually  labouring  to  mount  aloft  and  aspiring 
to  be  preachers,  not  to  say  spotless  angels,  before  they  have 
learned  to  be  decent  tailors,  shopkeepers,  and  farmers.  No 
doubt  it  is  often  a  worthy  zeal  which  prompts  tradesmen  to 
attempt  to  preach.  Has  not  the  Lord  declared  that  if  they 
who  have  been  called  to  that  office  are  silent,  the  "  very  stones 
should  cry  out"?  When,  then,  a  tradesman  happens  to  be 
impelled  by  the  Spirit  to  bear  from  house  to  house  a  testimony 
in  behalf  of  Christ,  the  whole  clergy  of  the  city  ought  not,  as 
they  too  often  do,  to  burn  with  indignation,  as  if — may  God 
forbid  the  thought ! — they  were  afraid  of  losijtg  their  bread. 
No  doubt  the  clergy  say,  Are  we  then  dumb  dogs  ?  and  if  not, 
what  would  the  stones  be  at  when  they  open  their  mouths 
along  with  us,  who  are  the  watchmen  upon  the  towers  ?  And 
yet  when  a  long  war  has  come  to  an  end,  and  gentle  peace 
1  Luke,  xvi.  lo.  ^  Ecclus.  xix.  i.  3  Luke,  xvi.  ii,  12. 

2  B 


386  58.  Be  faithful  in  that  which  is  least. 

returns,  is  it  enough  if  only  the  watchmen  upon  the  tower  pro- 
claim it  by  sound  of  trumpet  ?  May  not  on  such  an  occasion 
one  neighbour  be  allowed  to  shout  aloud  to  another,  "  Peace, 
peace  "  ?  To  more  than  this  the  laity  do  not  pretend.  They 
do  not  claim  the  pulpit,  nor  the  priestly  gown,  nor  the  right 
to  administer  the  sacraments.  Let  them,  then,  proceed  as  far 
as  the  Lord  bids  them.  Whether  they  have  been  bidden  or 
not  will  soon  appear,  when  it  is  seen  whether  they  preach  with 
anything  but  the  lips ;  for  certain  it  is  that  if  a  layman  suffer 
his  preaching  to  impair  his  faithfulness  in  '•'■that  which  is  little" 
even  the  great  things  with  which  he  presumes  to  meddle  will 
not  prosper  in  his  hand.  And  nothing  can  be  more  odious 
than  the  set  of  babblers  who  do  what  St  Paul  blames  in  young 
widows,  saying,  '•  Withal  they  learn  to  be  idle,  wandering 
about  from  house  to  house;  and  not  only  idle,  but  tattlers 
also  and  busybodies,  speaking  things  which  they  ought  not."  ^ 
In  general  there  is  so  much  to  do,  and  which  needs  first  of  all 
to  be  done  in  the  right  building  up  by  every  one  of  his  own 
house  to  the  glory  of  God,  that  men  are  willing  to  leave  the 
task  of  building  up  the  Church  to  those  to  whom  the  Lord 
has  assigned  it. 

There  are  few  professions  which  have  not  their  own  peculiar 
flaw,  bequeathed  in  succession  from  father  to  son,  and  from 
son  to  grandson.  Advocates,  by  the  exorbitance  of  their  fees, 
and  the  defence  of  what  is  obviously  unjust,  often  do  more 
harm  than  good.  Merchants  have  one  set  of  weights  with 
which  to  buy  and  another  with  which  to  sell,  and  deal  in  un- 
wholesome  wares ;  farmers  work  their  labourers  like  horses  and 
feed  them  like  sparrows,  against  whom  both  apostles  and 
prophets  utter  woe ;  ^  innkeepers  by  double  charges  put  salt 
into  the  travellers'  soup ;  artists  attempt  to  paint  before  they 
have  learned  to  mix  colours;  doctors  reckon  talk  to  be  a 
branch  of  their  trade ;  scholars  are  seldom  free  from  absur- 
dities, that  make  people  fear  they  have  lost  half  of  their  wits ; 
and  philosophers,  above  all,  because  they  make  the  calendars, 
1  I  Tim.  V.  13.  2  jer.  xxii.  13 ;  James,  v.  4. 


58.  Be  faithfid  in  that  ivJiich  is  least.  387 

fancy  that  they  can  also  make  the  7veather.  Soldiers,  too, 
there  are,  who,  though  averse  to  fightmg,  are  commonly 
mighty  at  boasting ;  and  clergymen  who  think  that  their  office 
consists  in  wearing  a  gown.  In  short,  there  is  not  a  single 
profession  which,  along  with  its  own  peculiar  ca7^es^  has  not  its 
own  peculiar  y?(2w;  and  hence  the  man  who  firmly  sets  his 
face  against  it,  and,  instead  of  excusing  himself  for  doing  what 
is  wrong  with  the  plea  that  others  do  the  same,  earnestly 
strives,  according  to  the  exhortation  of  the  apostle,  "  to  be  in 
all  things  blameless  and  harmless,  the  son  of  God,  without 
rebuke,"^  will  find  the  task  a  hard  one;  and  yet  it  is  a  task 
which,  as  a  Christian,  he  must  undertake.  In  hours  of  calm 
reflection  we  ought  to  ponder  before  God  all  the  sins  and 
temptations  which  cleave  to  our  line  of  life,  in  order  faithfully 
to  watch  and  protect  ourselves  from  them. 

In  cases  where  God  vouchsafes  blessing  and  success  to 
a  family,  so  that  it  increases  in  numbers,  and  at  the  same  time 
in  wealth  and  substance,  a  new  temptation  is  apt  to  take  its 
rise.  On  the  one  hand  there  are  some  who  believe  that  they 
can  now  dispense  with  prayer,  and  who  make  flesh  their  arm, 
and  put  their  trust  in  the  things  that  perish;  although  the 
Lord  understands  quite  as  well  how  to  make  a  rich  man 
suddenly  poor  as  how  to  make  a  poor  man  suddenly  rich, 
according  to  the  words  of  James,  "  Let  the  rich  man  glory  in 
that  he  is  made  low,  because  as  the  flower  of  the  grass  he  shall 
pass  away."  And  great  is  the  mistake  were  any  one  to  ima- 
gine that  when  riches  enter  the  house  there  is  less  of  tempta- 
tion to  cleave  to  pence,  seeing  that  experience  teaches,  on 
the  contrary,  that  in  such  a  case  the  attachment  of  the  heart 
to  earthly  good  becomes  so  much  the  stronger^  according  to  the 
proverb.  The  more  a  man  has  the  less  he  gives  away,  and  he 
grows  miserly  as  he  grows  rich.  It  seems  a  strange  thing  to 
affirm,  but  yet  it  is  true,  that  the  fear  of  want  is  always  greatest 
where  wealth  is  most  abundant.  It  was  said  by  Frederick  II. 
that  superfluity  blinds  even  the  strongest  minds ;  and  the  truth 
1  Phil.  ii.  15. 


388  58.  Be  faithful  in  that  which  is  least. 

of  the  observation  is  exemplified  by  the  fact,  that  the  more 
a  man  possesses,  the  less  is  he  disposed  to  think  that  he  pos- 
sesses enough. 

True  it  is  that  as  a  family  increases  their  wants  multiply. 
The  children  must  have  clothes  and  shoes,  and  the  servants 
wages  and  food;  but  who  have  had  larger  experience  than 
virtuous  parents  blessed  with  a  numerous  offspring  that  God 
can  drop  His  gifts  into  men's  bosoms  in  a  way  they  know  not 
of,  and  that  when  the  children  multiply  so  likewise  do  the 
loaves  from  day  to  day,  though  they  know  as  Httle  from  whence 
these  come?  On  this  subject  Luther  observes,  "That  the 
increase  of  children  generally  deteriorates  men  by  making 
them  more  penurious,  and  leading  them  to  scrape  and  pare 
and  save  wherever  they  can,  in  order  that  their  offspring  may 
be  well  provided  for.  They  do  not  know  that  every  little 
child  before  he  is  brought  into  the  world  has  had  his  portion 
— what  and  how  much  he  is  to  have,  and  what  he  is  to  become 
—  already  marked  out  for  him."  Moreover,  there  is  this 
danger  inherent  in  the  pursuit  of  riches,  that  one  has  not  the 
power  to  stop  where  he  would  wish,  which  is  especially  true 
of  merchants.  They  are  driven  from  one  speculation  into 
another,  and  become  ever  more  and  more  entangled  with 
worldly  cares,  and  so  forget  that  here  on  earth  we  are 
pilgrims. 

Inasmuch,  then,  O  my  God  and  Father,  as  I  am  thus  appre- 
hensive of  deviating  now  to  the  right  hand  and  now  to  the 
left,  I  implore  of  Thee  to  give  me  above  all  things  the  true 
pilgrim  frame  of  mind.  Certain  it  is  that  here  we  have  no 
permanent  place  of  abode,  but  are  strangers  and  sojourners 
on  the  earth ;  vouchsafe  to  me,  therefore,  a  contented  heart, 
which  shall  count  it  enough  to  have  food  and  raiment  when 
to  these  Thou  dost  add  Thy  grace.  If  Thou  give  me  riches, 
I  will  use  them  for  no  other  purpose  than  to  be  rich  in  good 
works,  and  to  lay  up  treasures  as  a  fund  for  the  life  to  come. 
If  Thou  send  me  poverty,  then  also  will  I  praise  Thee,  for 
then  I  shall  be  less  exposed  to  temptation.     And  if  the  mite 


59-   There  are  many  Members,  hit  one  Body.       389 

which  the  poor  widow  cast  into  the  treasury  outweighed  the 
costly  offerings  of  the  rich/  so  also  will  my  penny,  if  given 
with  a  willing  heart,  be  counted  as  great  as  if  I  had  wealth  to 
give.  This  poor  life  of  ours  is  but  a  brief  winter  day ;  it  will 
soon  be  gone,  and  then  its  poverty  or  riches  will  lie  behind 
us  like  a  dream,  while  the  good  things  of  eternity  shall  recreate 
our  hearts  for  ever.  To  these  point  all  the  desires  of  my  soul, 
and  to  these  conduct  me  by  Thy  grace. 


59. 

W^ziz  are  mang  fEembers,  ^vX  one  Bobg. 

YoM  marvel  that  the  Lord,  who  made 

All  things  according  to  a plaUy 
Sets  on  so  manifold  a  grade 
The  motley  family  of  man. 

For  some  are  nobly  born  and  bred, 
A  nd  some  are  men  of  low  degree  ; 

Here  a  proud  patron  lifts  his  head, 
There  a  poor  client  bends  the  knee. 

A  prince  imperial  is  one, 

Another  toils  his  bread  to  gain  ; 
The  king  sits  on  a  golden  throne, 
The  page  attends  to  bear  his  train. 

But  earth  has  other  trees  beside 

The  lordly  palm  that  towers  o?i  high; 

Nor  through  the  air's  dominion  wide 
Do  only  royal  eagles  fly. 

And  lesser  orbs  than  sun  and  moon 
Shed  der  the  firmament  their  light. 

And  even  IN  heaven  God's  will  is  done 
By  others  than  archangels  bright. 


^  Luke,  xxi.  2. 


390       59-  There  are  many  Members,  but  one  Body. 

Why  marvel,  the?i,  if  He  who  guides 

All  earthly  thi??gs  by  counsel  wise. 
The  numerous  HOST  OF  MEN  divides. 

And  sets  in  ranks  and  companies  f 

Where  many  meet  upon  a  plain. 

And  all  must  room  co?tvenientJind, 
Some  stand  before,  and  some  again 

Must  needs  consent  to  stand  behind. 

But  if  where'er  their  lot  may  fall, 
Not  one  but  sees  the  monarch's  face, 

And  at  the  common  table  all 

Find  their  appointed  plate  and  place, 

I  wonder  any  man  of  sense 

Can  here  pretend  to  take  offence. 

I  Cor.  xii.  17-20.  ''  If  the  whole  body  were  an  eye,  where 
were  the  hearing  ?  if  the  whole  were  hearing,  where  were 
the  smelling  ?  But  now  hath  God  set  the  members  every 
one  of  them  in  the  body,  as  it  hath  pleased  Him.  And 
if  they  were  all  one  member,  where  were  the  body  ?  But 
now  are  they  many  members,  yet  but  one  body." 

EccLUS.  X.  22.  *' Whether  he  be  rich,  noble,  or  poor,  their 
glory  is  the  fear  of  the  Lord." 

WHEREFORE  henceforth,"  saith  the  apostle,  "  know 
we  no  man  after  the  flesh  :  yea,  though  we  have 
known  Christ  after  the  flesh,  yet  now  henceforth  know  we 
Him  no  more.  Therefore  if  any  man  be  in  Christ,  he  is 
a  new  creature :  old  things  are  passed  away ;  behold,  all 
things  are  become  new."  ^ 

This  is  what  always  happens  when  Christ  awakens  the  soul, 
and  makes  it  acquainted  with  Himself.  In  surveying  the 
whole  family  of  man  upon  earth,  the  only  things  we  then  ob- 
serve are,  whether  they  are  or  are  not  the  children  of  God ; 
and  dividing  them  into  two  classes,  we  turn  our  hearts  towards 
the  one  and  away  from  the  other.  So  great  and  momentous 
does  the  new  creatureship  in  Christ  appear,  that  we  look  upon 
1  2  Cor.  V.  16,  17. 


59-   There  are  many  Members,  but  one  Body.       391 

it  as  constituting  the  only  proper  difference  between  man  and 
man ;  nay  more,  even  among  those  who  partake  of  the  new 
nature  we  at  first  make  no  distinction  between  the  great  and 
the  little,  the  high  and  the  low,  the  wise  and  the  foolish,  the 
more  and  the  less  advanced.  All  that  we  look  to  or  inquire 
after  is,  whether  they  are  willing  to  be  Christ's,  and  to  be 
called  by  His  name.  For  this  reason  I  can  easily  understand 
how  it  has  happened  that  among  the  adherents  of  the  Lord 
parties  have  arisen  who  imagined  that  they  rightly  caught  His 
meaning  when  they  refused  to  admit  any  distinction  at  all 
among  professing  Christians,  and  interpreted  with  the  utmost 
strictness  the  saying  of  the  apostle,  that  "  there  is  neither  Jew 
nor  Greek,  there  is  neither  bond  nor  free,  there  is  neither  male 
nor  female  :  for  ye  are  all  one  in  Christ  Jesus."  ^  This,  for 
example,  is  done  by  that  body  of  Christians  who  take  to  them- 
selves the  name  of  Friends,  but  are  by  others  called  Quakers. 
In  like  manner,  in  Luther's  days,  there  arose  fanatical  Ana- 
baptists and  other  sectaries,  who,  in  the  wildness  of  their  zeal, 
sought  to  abolish  all  diversities  of  rank,  and  to  place  servants 
and  masters,  the  rich  and  the  poor,  upon  the  same  level. 

It  is  possible  to  feel  very  painfully  the  partition  walls  which 
divide  from  each  other  the  high  and  the  low  among  the  chil- 
dren of  God,  and  more  especially  the  fact  of  the  unequal  dis- 
tribution of  earthly  property,  so  that  many  a  Christian  brother 
must  needs  pine  in  misery  and  care,  while  another  possesses 
more  than  his  necessities  require.  Indeed  I  have  myself  often 
had  very  serious  thoughts  upon  this  subject,  when  reading 
what  is  reported  about  the  infant  Church — viz.,  that  "  the 
multitude  of  them  that  believed  were  of  one  heart  and  of  one 
soul  \  neither  said  any  of  them  that  ought  of  the  things  which 
he  possessed  was  his  own  \  but  they  had  all  things  common."  2 
What!  said  I  to  myself;  could  brotherly  love  do  so  great 
things  in  those  days,  and  ought  it  not  also  to  be  able  to  do 
the  same  in  our  own  ?  I  sought  for  instruction,  however,  and 
it  was  vouchsafed  to  me. 

1  Gal.  xii.  28.  "  Acts,  ii.  45 ;  iv.  32. 


392       59-   Thej'e  are  many  Membej's,  biU  one  Body. 

When  the  apostle  delivered  the  precept,  "  Brethren,  let 
every  man,  wherein  he  is  called,  therein  abide  with  God,"  ^ 
he  excepted  no  station  or  trade  save  those  against  which  he 
had  elsewhere  warned  as  being  disreputableP-  We  do  not  read 
that  Peter  enjoined  the  centurion  Cornelius  at  his  conversion 
to  quit  the  military  profession,  or  that  Paul  on  a  similar  occa- 
sion gave  a  similar  order  to  the  deputy,  Sergius  Paulus,  in  the 
island  of  Cyprus  ;  nor  do  we  even  read  that  he  ordered  Chris- 
tian masters  to  set  at  liberty  their  servants,  although  these 
were  then  bondsmen  and  slaves.  AVhat  he  did  was  to  exhort 
the  former  not  to  forget  that  they  also  had  a  Master  in  heaven  ; 
and  to  remind  the  latter  that  they  were  the  Lord's  freemen, 
and  therefore  ought  to  perform  their  service  as  to  the  Lord, 
and  not  as  to  men.^  Nay,  he  commanded  Onesimus,  the  run- 
away slave,  after  he  had  converted  him  at  Rome,  to  return  to 
his  master  Philemon,  who  was  a  Christian ;  and  wrote  on  the 
occasion  the  beautiful  epistle  in  which  he  pours  forth  the 
whole  affection  of  his  heart.  It  thus  appears  that  even  the 
apostles  of  the  Lord  gave  their  sanction  to  the  diversities  of 
rank.  As  for  the  community  of  goods  which  obtained  among 
the  Christians  in  the  infant  Church,  it  was  only  of  such  sort 
as  left  every  one  at  liberty  if  he  chose  to  sell  any  part  of  his 
superfluous  property  for  the  benefit  of  the  poor  brethren.^ 
And  accordingly  we  afterwards  find  a  Christian  female,  the 
mother  of  the  evangeUst  Mark,  possessing  a  house  of  her 
own.^  Nor  could  such  a  partition  of  property  possibly  obtain 
among  Christians  as  a  general  rule,  but  was  practicable  only 
among  those  in  Jerusalem ;  and  hence,  when  the  Church  there 
was  reduced  to  poverty,  and  charitable  contributions  were 
made  in  all  quarters  for  their  relief,  nothing  more  was  required 
of  the  contributors  than  that  every  one  should  give  according  to 
that  he  had.^  Neither  did  the  apostle  object  to  parents  laying 
up  in  store  for  their  children,^  but  even  enjoined  as  quite  a 

1  I  Cor.  vii.  24.  ^  I  Tim.  iii.  3 ;  Titus,  i.  7. 

3  1  Cor.  vii.  22  ;  Eph.  vi.  5-9.  ^  Acts,  v.  4. 

5  Acts,  xii.  12.  '°  2  Cor.  viii.  12,  13.  '^  2  Cor.  xii.  14. 


59-   There  are  many  Members,  but  one  Body.       393 

special  duty  that  every  man  should  first  of  all  provide  for 
those  of  his  own  house.  ^ 

Alas  !  that  which  makes  the  inequalities  of  rank  and  fortune 
so  painful  here  on  earth  is  singly  and  solely  the  forgetfulness 
of  men  that  they  are  not  lords  over  these  things,  but  only 
steivards,  and  wUl  have  to  render  an  account.  Let  that  one 
truth  be  recognised,  and  it  sets  all  things  in  their  proper  order; 
and  though  there  may  still  remain  manifold  distinctmis  upon 
earth,  there  will  be  no  clefts  or  chasms.  It  is  thus  that  Luther 
admirably  comments  upon  the  saying  of  Christ  :  "  When  thou 
art  bidden  to  a  weddi7tg,  go  and  sit  down  in  the  lowest  room,  that 
when  he  that  bade  thee  cometh,  he  may  say  unto  thee,  Friend,  go 
up  higher'^  Why  does  he  here  forbid  us  to  sit  down  in  the 
highest  room,  and  yet  says  that  he  that  sits  down  in  the  low- 
est shall  be  made  to  go  up  higher?  I  answer,  the  explanation 
must  be  sought  in  the  word  choose  in  the  seventh  verse,  where 
it  is  said  that  when  he  marked  how  they  chose  out  the  chief  rooms, 
just  as  in  the  foregoing  context  the  ground  of  the  censure  is 
in  the  expression  that  on  the  Sabbath-day  they  watched  him. 
There  must  be  sitters  both  in  the  higher  and  in  the  lower 
rooms,  for  it  is  impossible  to  provide  every  individual  in  the 
Church  with  a  special  place  or  station,  time,  temple,  or  chapel 
of  his  own.  And  so  in  like  manner  we  cannot  all  be  princes, 
dukes,  and  noblemen,  preachers  and  citizens,  men  and  women, 
masters  and  servants.  These  many  and  different  ranks  require 
to  be  interspersed  with  each  other ;  and  in  his  own  station, 
whatever  it  may  be,  every  one  has  enough  to  do.  We  cannot, 
therefore,  and  ought  not,  all  of  us  to  sit  equally  high  or  equally 
low;  and  the  distinction  which  God  has  ordained  must  be 
observed,  that  he  who  is  of  higher  rank  than  others  shall  also 
occupy  a  higher  seat.  And  so  the  duke  must  not  set  himself 
above  the  prince,  nor  the  servant  above  the  master.  More- 
over, there  must  also  be  a  similar  difference  between  other 
ranks,  such  as  town  and  country  people ;  and  it  is  of  great 
importance  that  what  Christ  here  says  and  means  should  be 
1  Gal.  vi.  10 ;  i  Tim.  v.  8. 


394       59-    There  are  many  Members,  but  one  Body. 

clearly  understood.  Know  then,  if  thou  be  a  man  of  rank,  or 
hast  in  any  way  been  preferred  to  others,  that  that  advantage 
is  a  gift  of  God,  and  has  been  vouchsafed  to  thee  not  that 
thou  shouldst  plume  thyself  on  account  of  it,  and  hold  thy 
head  above  thy  fellows,  as  if  it  made  thee  better  in  God's 
sight  than  they.  Rather,  on  the  contrary,  is  it  His  command 
that  thou  shouldst  be  the  more  htmible,  and  minister  with  it 
to  thy  neighbour.  The  larger  measure  which  God  may  have 
given  to  thee  of  power,  rank,  and  dignity,  thou  oughtest  to 
view  as  an  injunction  to  employ  these  gifts  in  the  service  of 
others ;  and  if  thou  neglect  to  do  this,  know  for  certain  that 
many  a  poor  herd-boy,  whose  talents  and  estimation  in  the 
eyes  of  the  world  are  as  nothing  when  compared  to  thine,  is 
yet  in  the  eyes  of  God  and  the  angels  greatly  thy  superior, 
and  will  be  exalted  to  heaven,  whereas  thou,  with  all  thy  fair 
ornaments  and  proud  honours,  shalt  be  cast  into  hell.  God 
is  not  the  maker  merely  of  princes,  and  counts,  and  nobles, 
and  scholars,  nor  are  these  the  only  persons  whom  He  has 
invited  into  His  kingdom ;  but  any  man  whatever,  provided 
he  be  a  Christian,  is  with  Him  quite  as  good  as  any  other, 
according  to  the  words  of  our  Creed  :  "  /  believe  in  God 
Almighty,  maker  of  heaven  a7id  earthP  Think  not,  then,  that 
thou  only  art  entitled  to  take  the  higher  seat,  and  yield  it  to 
no  other ;  for  God,  who  made  thee  a  master,  or  a  ruler,  or 
a  doctor,  or  a  teacher,  is  just  as  much  the  God  of  the  poor 
beggar  before  thy  door,  and  looks  as  straight  at  him  as  at  the 
greatest  prince  or  lord  upon  the  earth.  In  short,  whether 
thou  sittest  above,  or  in  the  middle,  or  below,  the  Creed  puts 
all  upon  the  same  level  when  it  says,  "  We  believe  in  one  God, 
maker  of  heaven  and  earth." 

When  one  man  learns  to  regard  his  rank  and  another  his 
low  degree,  this  one  his  wealth  and  that  one  his  poverty,  as 
being  mere  gifts,  the  cleft  between  them  is  at  once  done  away. 
This  the  apostle  tells  us,  in  language  of  surpassing  beauty, 
when  he  says  to  masters  that  they  ought  to  look  upon  them- 
selves as  "  servants  of  God/'  and  bids  servants  remember  that 


59-   There  are  many  Members,  but  one  Body.       395 

they  are  "  freemen  of  Christ."  In  those  days  servants  were 
bondsmen  or  slaves,  and  yet  the  apostle  did  not,  for  wise 
reasons,  declaim  against  slavery.  In  fact,  where  the  master 
and  the  servant  stand  toward  God  and  each  other  in  the  rela- 
tion described,  slavery  is  virtually  done  away,  and  all  that 
remains  of  it  is  but  the  outward  shell.  The  apostle  James 
says,  to  the  same  effect,  "  Let  the  brother  of  low  degree  rejoice 
in  that  he  is  exalted  ;  but  the  rich,  in  that  he  is  made  low."  ^ 
By  which  he  means  that  the  man  of  low  degree  and  the  man 
of  wealth  should  make  it  their  boast,  the  one  that  the  Lord 
has  spiritually  exalted  him,  and  the  other  that  he  has  been 
spiritually  humbled  and  abased. 

The  Christian  man  of  rank,  who  sets  a  value  upon  his  posi- 
tion, does  so  merely  because  he  judges  that  he  ought  not  to 
allow  what  is  a  divine  gift  to  be  trodden  under  foot,  and  is 
well  aAvare  that  it  does  not  make  him  better  than  others  ;  and 
if  the  Christian  of  low  degree  pay  honour  and  deference  to 
him  who  is  in  a  higher  place,  he  does  it  solely  because  he 
knows  that  the  Lord  has  set  him  where  he  is,  and  it  is  to  the 
divine  ordinance,  and  not  to  the  man,  that  his  homage  is  paid. 
When  the  rich  man  looks  upon  himself  as  being  a  steward, 
and  as  having  nothing  of  his  own,  he  will  feel  the  obligation 
to  administer  his  means,  not  according  to  his  own  caprice,  or 
for  his  own  benefit.  Recognising  the  fact  that  he  is  merely 
the  purse-bearer  of  the  Lord,  he  will  discharge  every  bill  which 
his  Master  presents  to  him.  In  this  way  the  rich  become  pay- 
masters and  stewards  of  the  poor,  and  will  take  deeply  to  heart 
what  the  Lord  says  in  language  so  affecting :  "  Then  shall  the 
King  say  unto  them  on  His  right  hand.  Come,  ye  blessed  of 
my  Father,  inherit  the  kingdom  prepared  for  you  from  the 
foundation  of  the  world  :  for  I  was  an  hungered,  and  ye  gave 
me  meat ;  I  was  thirsty,  and  ye  gave  me  drink  \  I  was  a 
stranger,  and  ye  took  me  in  -,  naked,  and  ye  clothed  me ;  I 
was  sick,  and  ye  visited  me ;  I  was  in  prison,  and  ye  came 
unto  me."  It  is,  in  fact,  Christ  the  Lord  Himself  \n\\o  appeals 
1  James,  i.  9,  10. 


39^       59-   There  are  many  Members^  httt  one  Body. 

to  us  in  the  person  of  every  sufferer,  and  that  is  a  thought 
which  might  well  soften  stones,  not  to  speak  of  Christian 
hearts  ;  and  therefore  the  wealthy  believer  will  never  fail  to 
honour  every  order  of  which  he  knows  for  certain  that  it  has 
been  forwarded  to  him  by  his  Lord  and  King. 

The  exhortations  in  holy  Scripture  "to  do  good  and  com- 
municate "  are  of  so  frequent  occurrence  as  might  lead  us  to 
suppose  that  we  ought  to  reserve  nothing  for  ourselves  at  all ; 
and  to  that  effect  many  a  serious  and  disquieting  thought  may 
possibly  pass  through  the  mind  of  a  conscientious  Christian. 
Even  in  this  matter,  however,  we  must  keep  within  certain 
bounds;  for  if  our  station  and  calling  be  from  God,  and  if 
every  station  and  calling  entails  a  certain  outward  style  of 
living,  begets  various  wants,  and  even  requires  occasional 
recreations,  we  cannot  so  totally  impoverish  ourselves  and 
give  all  we  have  to  the  poor.  It  must  likewise  be  consider- 
ed, that  by  going  too  far  in  that  direction,  a  man  would  in 
other  ways  lack  the  means  of  fulfilling  the  positive  duties  which 
the  Lord  has  imposed  upon  him.  No  doubt  we  often  hear  the 
poor  speaking  very  absurdly  on  this  subject,  as  if  every  man  of 
rank  who  is  a  Christian  brother  were  bound  to  wear  the  jacket 
and  clogs  of  a  common  workman,  and  as  if  every  joint  of  meat 
put  into  his  pot  were  a  robbery  of  the  indigent.  But  were  the 
man  of  rank,  out  of  charity  to  the  poor,  really  to  put  on  the 
jacket  and  the  clogs,  he  would  be  forced  at  last  to  go  out  of  the 
world.  For  if  one  man's  conscience  were  to  scruple  at  eating 
flesh  so  long  as  another  had  only  herbs,  the  conscience  of  that 
other  might  scruple  as  well  about  the  herbs,  so  long  as  a  third 
had  only  dry  bread ;  and  thus  there  would  be  no  end  to  scruples 
of  conscience.  At  the  marriage  of  Cana,  where  He  turned  water 
into  wine,  and  when  sitting  at  table  in  the  house  of  Mary  and 
Martha,  our  Lord  for  certain  did  not  drink  mere  water  and  eat 
dry  bread.  And  as  little  in  the  matter  of  dress  did  He,  like 
John  the  Baptist,  put  on  a  cloak  of  camel's  hair,  but  wore  an 
over  and  under  garment,  such  as  at  the  time  were  the  ordinary 


59-   There  are  many  Members^  but  one  Body.       397 

dress  of  the  people  of  Palestine.^  The  measure  of  wealth 
which  the  Lord  gives  him  the  believer  thankfully  accepts,  and 
when  the  Lord  requires  it,  cheerfully  gives  it  hack.  And  in  cases 
where  he  is  certain  that  the  Lord  really  calls,  and  that  in  the 
person  of  an  indigent  brother  his  Saviour  is  standing  incognito 
before  him,  with  an  order  in  His  hand,  the  best  thing  he  can 
do  is  not  to  inquire  and  calculate  too  much  whether  enough 
will  still  be  left  for  his  cattle  and  servants,  and  wife  and 
children,  but  to  act  on  the  old  and  faithful  adage,  "  Alms-giv- 
ing makes  no  man  poor,  as  going  to  church  is  no  loss  of  time." 
It  once  happened  that  Justus  Jonas,  on  giving  an  alms  to  a 
beggar,  made  the  observation,  "  Who  knows  when  God  will 
give  it  me  back  ?  "  Upon  which  Luther  answered,  "  As  if  He 
had  not  done  it  already  I"  On  another  occasion,  when  the 
generous-hearted  Reformer  was  appealed  to  by  a  poor  beggar, 
and  had  only  a  single  dollar  in  his  box,  "  Out,  Mr  Dollar  ! " 
said  he ;  "  the  Lord  God  has  come  for  thee," — and  gave  it 
away.  It  is  true,  moreover,  that  "  man  lives  by  every  word 
which  proceeds  out  of  the  mouth  of  God,''  and  that  what  we 
give  away  returns  to  us  when  we  least  expect  it.  This  is 
beautifully  expressed  by  the  Preacher  when  he  says,  "  Cast 
thy  bread  upon  the  waters,  for  thou  shalt  find  it  after  many 
days."2  Similar  is  the  saying  of  the  Arabians,  "  Cast  thy  bread 
into  the  water;  though  the  fish  do  not  know  it,  God  does." 
And  the  proverb  of  King  Solomon,  which  had  reached  their 
ears,  has  been  expounded  by  the  Easterns  in  a  beautiful  story. 
They  tell  us  that  there  was  a  good-looking  boy,  who  was  loved 
and  preferred  above  all  others  by  the  Caliph  Mutawakkil. 
Having  one  day  gone  to  the  river  Tigris  to  exercise  himself  in 
swimming,  he  was  carried  away  by  the  stream,  and  although 
many  hastened  along  the  bank  in  order  to  save  him,  he  sud- 
denly disappeared.  The  occurrence,  when  reported  to  the 
Caliph,  grieved  him  to  the  very  heart.  He  descended  from 
his  throne,  put  on  mourning,  and  wore  it  for  seven  days.  When 
these  were  ended,  he  conceived  a  strong  desire  that  at  least 

1  John,  xix.  23.  2  Eccles.  xi.  i. 


398       59-   TJiere  are  many  Members,  hut  one  Body. 

the  body  of  his  favourite  might  be  found ;  and  sending  for  boat- 
men and  divers,  offered  a  thousand  pieces  of  gold  as  a  reward 
for  its  recovery.  In  a  short  time  one  of  these  returned  and 
addressed  him,  saying,  "  O  CaHph  !  thou  hast  offered  a  great 
reward  to  him  who  shall  bring  back  to  thee  the  dead  body  of 
thy  favourite  j  behold,  I  bring  him  back  to  thee  alive  ! "  and 
having  thus  spoken,  conducted  the  boy  uninjured  into  the  pre- 
sence of  his  master.  The  Caliph  was  greatly  astonished,  and 
his  joy  was  without  measure.  The  account  which  the  youth  gave 
of  himself  was,  that  while  being  carried  ever  farther  and  farther 
down  the  stream,  he,  in  his  dismay,  caught  hold  of  the  branch 
of  a  tamarind-tree,  and  close  to  it  perceived  a  cave  above  the 
level  of  the  water.  Into  this  he  crept  for  refuge,  and  on  the 
following  day,  as  he  sat  in  deep  despondency,  pondering  on 
the  miserable  death  from  hunger  which  threatened  inevitably 
to  be  his  fate,  a  wooden  platter,  whereon  were  twenty  cakes, 
floated  towards  him,  and  continued  daily  to  do  so  as  long  as 
he  remained  in  the  cave ;  and  on  all  of  the  cakes  there  was  im- 
printed a  certain  name.  The  Caliph  was  filled  with  wonder  at 
the  story,  and  without  delay  caused  search  to  be  made  for  the 
person  whose  name  was  on  the  cakes.  Being  found  and  interro- 
gated by  the  Caliph  as  to  his  motives  for  doing  what  he  had 
done,  this  person  answered, — "  It  is  written,  '  Cast  thy  bread 
upon  the  water,  afid  thou  shalt  find  it  after  many  days.''  "  Yes, 
of  a  truth,  as  "  ill-gotten  gain  enriches  no  man,"  so  neither  does 
an  alms,  when  given  in  faith,  make  a  man  poor. 

We  read  respecting  the  angels,  that  they  too  are  not  all  of 
equal  rank,  but  that  there  are  among  them  archangels,  and 
thrones,  and  dominions,  and  principalities,  and  powers,  whom 
the  Lord  of  hosts  has  certainly  endowed  with  different  gifts 
and  capacities,  but  who  yet  consort  together  in  love  and  friend- 
ship. And  why  so  ?  It  is  because  each  of  them  knows  full 
well  that  divine  grace,  and  that  alone,  has  made  him  what  he 
is,  and  raised  him  to  the  rank  which  he  holds.  Would  that  this 
were  also  the  case  with  mankind  !  No  longer  would  diversities 
of  gifts  sever  them  from  each  other.     Instead  of  lamenting  or 


59-   There  are  many  Members,  but  one  Body.       399 

murmuring  at  his  humble  station,  every  one  would  rather  rejoice 
in  the  good  allotted  to  himself,  and  at  the  same  time  be  as 
heartily  glad  at  that  which  had  fallen  to  the  share  of  a  neigh- 
bour. Wherefore,  dear  brethren,  if  you  ever  look  up  to  the 
things  above  you,  and  are  inclined  to  feel  ashamed  of  the  call- 
ing which  has  been  assigned  as  your  lot,  be  exhorted  to  cast 
such  pride  away.  The  son  of  Sirach  says  :  "  Search  not  the 
things  that  are  above  thy  strength,  but  what  is  commanded  thee 
think  thereupon ;  for  it  is  not  needful  for  thee  to  see  the  things 
that  are  in  secret."  ^  The  humblest  cottage  may  be  handsomely 
furnished,  and  a  village,  however  small,  may  have  its  annual 
wake. 

Even  in  the  stormiest  April  day 
The  fragrant  violet  blows  ; 

And  no  rude  chance  can  take  away 
The  good  which  God  bestows. 

No  doubt  we  often  imagine  that  the  desire  to  change  our 
place  and  station  is  in  order  that  we  may  be  able  to  serve  God 
more  faithfully.  But  that  also  is  one  of  Satan's  tricks  and 
devices ;  for  what  said  the  Lord  to  the  servant  who,  having 
received  a  single  pound,  kept  it  laid  up  in  a  napkin,  instead  of 
laying  it  out  at  interest?  Did  He  not  call  him  a  "wicked 
servant "  for  alleging :  "  I  feared  thee,  because  thou  art  an 
austere  man,  .  .  .  and  reapest  that  thou  didst  not  sow  "  ?  ^ 
It  seems,  then,  that  our  gracious  Saviour  is  not  willing  to  be 
numbered  among  the  masters  who  reap  what  they  did  not  sow ; 
and  therefore  the  man  whose  station  in  life  makes  the  service 
of  God  more  difficult  to  him  than  it  is  to  others,  may  tranquil- 
lise  his  mind.  The  only  law  enforced  in  the  court  of  heaven 
is  the  law  of  justice,  that  "  Unto  whomsoever  much  is  given,  of 
him  shall  be  much  required;  and  to  whom  men  have  com- 
mitted much,  of  him  they  will  ask  the  more. "  ^  Give  thyself  then 
no  trouble,  if,  by  reason  of  thy  station,  little  has  been  commit- 
ted to  thee.  A  day  is  coming  when  thou  wilt  rejoice  that  all 
the  less  is  required  at  thy  hand.    In  a  vast  edifice  there  must 

1  Ecclus.  iii.  21,  22.  2  Luke,  xix.  21.  3  Luke,  xii.  48. 


400  6o.  Husband  and  Wife  are  one  Flesh, 

not  only  be  square  blocks  and  corner-stones  of  large  dimen- 
sions, but  small  ones  also  to  fill  the  chinks ;  and  if  the  small 
ones  do  not  make  so  great  a  show  as  the  large,  they  have  com- 
pensation in  this,  that  they  have  less  to  bear. 


60. 

i^usbantJ  ant(  TOife  arc  one  iFIesJ. 

Till  death  shall  you  divide  ! 
These  are  the  solemn  words  that  make 
Onefiesh  of  those  who  erst  were  twain  ; 
Nor  is  there  power  on  earth  to  break 
That  one  indissoluble  chain. 
Be  prudence  then  thy  guide  ; 
Let  prudence  be  thy  guide. 
And  lest  through  wedlock^ s  mystic  gates 
With  light  and  heedless  step  thou  go, 
Bethink  thee  that  behind  it  waits 
Unmeasured  happitiess  or  woe 
Till  death  shall  you  divide. 

Matt.  xix.  3-9.  *'  The  Pharisees  also  came  unto  Him,  tempt- 
ing Him,  and  saying  unto  Him,  Is  it  lawful  for  a  man  to 
put  away  his  wife  for  every  cause?  And  He  answered 
and  said  unto  them,  Have  ye  not  read,  that  He  which 
made  them  at  the  beginning  made  them  male  and  female, 
and  said,  For  this  cause  shall  a  man  leave  father  and 
mother,  and  shall  cleave  to  his  wife  :  and  they  twain  shall 
be  one  flesh  ?  Wherefore  they  are  no  more  twain,  but 
one  flesh.  What  therefore  God  hath  joined  together,  let 
not  man  put  asunder.  They  say  unto  Him,  Why  did 
Moses  then  command  to  give  a  writing  of  divorcement, 
and  to  put  her  away?  He  saith  unto  them,  Moses 
because  of  the  hardness  of  your  hearts  suffered  you  to  put 


6o.  Husband  and  Wife  ai'e  one  Flesh.  401 

away  your  wives :  but  from  the  beginning  it  was  not  so. 
And  I  say  unto  you,  Whosoever  shall  put  away  his  wife, 
except  it  be  for  fornication,  and  shall  marry  another,  com- 
mitteth  adultery :  and  whoso  marrieth  her  which  is  put 
away  doth  commit  adultery." 

SUCH  are  the  few  words  on  which  depend  the  blessing  of 
all  the  Christian  families  which  have  existed  since  there 
was  a  Church  on  earth.  When  some  text  of  holy  Scripture 
suggests  to  my  mind  a  thought  like  this,  I  seem  to  myself  to 
be  standing  before  the  little  brook  in  a  rocky  cleft,  of  which 
we  know  that  at  the  end  of  its  course  it  has  become  a  mighty 
river,  and  floats  on  its  bosom  some  hundred  sail. 

Our  Lord  here  refers  back  to  the  word  which  God  spake  at 
the  beginning.  At  the  time  when  the  sacred  records  of  Israel 
began,  far  higher  notions  respecting  marriage  were  entertained 
than  the  law  of  Moses  and  the  wisdom  of  the  Scribes  afterwards 
taught.  The  words  by  which  it  was  instituted,  but  which  the 
people  had  wholly  overlooked,  Jesus  here  brings  again  to  light 
— sets  it,  so  to  speak,  like  a  precious  jewel  in  gold,  and  thus 
makes  it  one  of  the  costliest  ornaments  of  the  Christian  domes- 
tic economy.  To  all  the  beasts  of  the  field  God  spake  and 
said,  "  Increase  and  multiply."  But  of  none  of  these  is  it 
written  that  he  brought  the  female  to  the  male,  and  hence 
among  them  there  is  no  marriage.  For  Adam,  however,  he 
provides  a  peculiar  wife  taken  out  of  himself,  and  conducts 
and  gives  her  to  him.  Adam,  on  his  part,  assents  and  accepts 
her  \  and  that  is  then  a  marriage.  Almighty  God  also  said  : 
"  For  this  cause  shall  a  man  leave  father  and  mother.,  and  shall 
cleave  to  his  wife;  a?td  they  twain  shall  be  one  flesh  ;  "  and  He 
thereby  distinguishes  conjugal  love  from  all  the  other  kinds  of 
love.  The  kinds  are  three — the  false,  the  natural,  and  the 
conjugal.  False  love  seeks  its  own  things,  as  when  gold,  or 
lands,  or  honours  are  loved,  or  woman  in  an  unlawful  way. 
Natural  love  is  that  which  is  felt  for  parents,  brothers  and 
sisters,  relatives  and  friends — and  it  seeks  the  good  of  another, 

2  C 


402  6o.  Husband  and  Wife  are  one  Flesh. 

yet  not  altogether  for  that  other's  sake,  but  likewise  for  its 
own.  Superior"  to  all  these  is  conjugal  love.  This  is  an  ardent 
flame,  and  has  no  other  object  but  the  wedded  consort.  Its 
language  is,  I  want  not  what  is  thine,  neither  thy  gold,  nor 
thy  silver,  nor  anything  else ;  what  I  want  is  thyself.  The 
other  kinds  of  love  seek  something  else  than  their  object. 
This  one  alone  will  have  its  object  and  nothing  else,  and  will 
have  it  exclusively  as  its  own.  How  pure  would  have  been 
such  a  flame  between  bridegroom  and  bride  had  Adam  never 
fallen  !  Now,  however,  even  conjugal  love  is  no  longer  pure  \ 
for  although  the  consorts  seek  each  the  other,  each  in  the  other 
seeks  also  to  gratify  self,  and  so  this  love  is  defiled. 

"  And  they  twaifi  shall  be  one  flesh."  Inasmuch  as  each  of 
them  seeks  to  be  not  merely  devoted  to,  but,  if  I  may  so  say, 
identified  with  and  lost  in  the  other,  they  are  no  longer  twain 
but  one  flesh  ;  and  it  is  impossible  that  any  decrease  or  growth, 
any  gain  or  loss,  any  death  or  birth,  can  concern  the  one  and 
not  equally  affect  both.  Let  loathsome  disease,  let  leprosy, 
let  infamy  and  stripes,  or  any  evil  whatever,  befall  either,  still 
they  do  not  part,  because  they  are  one  body ;  and  so  the 
Word  of  the  Lord  proceeds  to  say,  "  What  tlw^efore  God  hath 
joined  together ,  let  not  7na?t  put  asunder,"  And  if  it  be  a  divine 
commandment  which  has  so  closely  joined  and  blended  them 
together,  who  is  he  who,  for  any  reason  whatsoever,  shall  bid 
them  forsake  and  separate  from  each  other  ? 

No  doubt  the  ties  which  knit  human  hearts  together  are 
manifold,  and  equally  various  the  modes  of  love.  Divine  wis- 
dom, however,  has  been  pleased  to  constitute,  as  quite  a  pecu- 
liar bond,  the  one  at  whose  formation  the  words,  U7itil  death 
divide  you,  have  been  uttered  by  consecrated  lips;  and  if  that 
bar  have  once  been  fixed,  no  human  hand  on  earth  either  can 
or  ought  to  remove  it.  And  unquestionably  this  is  what  rea- 
son dictates,  inasmuch  as  the  marriage  contract  has  no  match 
in  any  other  conjunction  of  human  hearts.  In  all  of  these,  no 
doubt,  there  is  the  desire  of  mutual  identification,  and  on  both 
sides  a  giving  and  taking.     But  nowhere  does  this  take  place 


6o.  Husband  and  Wife  are  one  Flesh.  403 

so  fully  as  in  the  state  of  marriage,  for  in  that  there  is  the 
peculiarity  that  the  twain  become  not  merely  one  spirit,  but  in 
an  equal  degree  07ie  flesh :  and  this  is  a  circumstance  which 
gives  to  the  spiritual  betrothal  a  peculiar  tenderness  and  inti- 
macy, the  reason  being  that  all  that  is  spiritual,  when  it  attains 
to  full  power,  emerges  into  view  in  the  exterior  of  the  flesh. 
For  example,  the  light  that  shines  in  a  man's  heart,  if  it  wax  to 
a  competent  strength  and  intensity,  beams  from  and  irradiates 
his  countenance.  The  same  happens  in  wedlock.  Indeed,  if 
God  have  blessed  a  marriage  with  children,  the  husband  and 
wife  may  actually  behold  manifested  in  their  offspring  how 
completely  they  have  been  blended  together  and  become  one, 
inasmuch  as  the  spiritual  and  bodily  nature  of  the  child  ex- 
hibits in  close  combination  the  idiosyncrasies  of  the  father  and 
the  mother. 

The  divine  intention  of  holy  wedlock  was  at  its  first  institu- 
tion declared  in  the  words  :  "  The  Lord  God  said,  //  is  not 
good  that  the  man  shoidd  be  alone  ;  I  will  make  him  an  help  meet 
for  him.''  Accordingly  a  Christian  wife  has  been  appointed 
the  helpmate  of  her  husband,  in  order  that  through  her  he  may 
obtain  what  no  other  helper  or  friend,  how  good  soever,  could 
possibly  give  him.  For  observe,  if  two  persons  are  to  be 
mutually  helpful,  the  first  and  main  requisite  is  that  they  should 
look  upon  one  another  not  as  strange  or  alien,  but  as  identical 
each  with  the  other.  This  alone  is  sufficient  to  show  the 
impossibility  that  in  any  other  fellowship  there  can  be  such 
reciprocal  help  and  ministration  as  in  the  holy  state  of  matri- 
mony. It  is  true  that  the  ties  of  affection  between  parent  and 
child,  brother  and  sister,  are  very  sacred  and  tender,  but  they 
do  not  reach  to  so  complete  a  community  of  mine  and  thine 
as  obtains  between  man  and  wife  ;  and  moreover,  it  is  only 
for  a  limited  time  that  these  parties  consort  together.  The 
children  grow  up,  and  when  the  brothers  and  sisters  come  of 
age,  each  of  them,  as  Luther  says,  seeks  a  nest  of  his  own. 
In  wedlock,  however,  what  is  there  which  is  not  common  to 
husband  and  wife;  and  what  other  relationship  in  an  equal 


404  6o.  Husband  and  Wife  are  one  Flesh. 

degree  binds  together  the  parties  who  have  entered  into  it  for 
the  whole  term  of  their  hves  ?  That  is  a  sufficient  reason  why 
no  friend,  not  even  a  mother  or  a  child,  can  be  so  helpful  to  a 
man  as  a  Christian  wife. 

There  is,  however,  another  reason  why  divine  wisdom  has 
ordained  that  the  Christian  wife  should  be  above  all  others 
the  helpmate  of  her  husband.  It  is  because  she  has  been 
endowed  with  what  the  nature  of  the  husband  lacks,  or  what 
it  cannot  easily  perform.  The  woman  is,  as  holy  Scripture  on 
many  accounts  has  called  her,  ''the  weaker  vessel."^  Her 
body  is  not  made  for  so  great  exertion  or  severe  labour  as  is 
that  of  the  man.  Nor  yet  has  her  mind  been  designed  by 
God  to  explore  the  depths  of  wisdom  or  wield  the  reins  of 
government.  But  what  Christian  women  ought  to  possess  as 
a  heritage,  and  what  has  likewise  in  some  measure  been  con- 
ferred upon  them  in  their  natural  disposition,  is  the  "hidden 
man  of  the  heart,  even  the  ornament  of  a  meek  and  quiet 
spirit,"  2  in  order  that  they  may  humbly  and  affectionately  and 
tenderly  manage  the  domestic  concerns  and  rule  the  house 
while  the  husband  is  labouring  for  it  in  the  streets  and  broad- 
ways, or  occupying  himself  with  public  affairs.  Hear  to  this 
effect  the  description  of  Solomon  :  "  Who  can  find  a  virtuous 
woman  ?  for  her  price  is  far  above  rubies.  The  heart  of  her 
husband  doth  safely  trust  in  her,  so  that  he  shall  have  no  need 
of  spoil.  She  will  do  him  good  and  not  evil  all  the  days  of 
her  life.  She  seeketh  wool  and  flax,  and  worketh  willingly 
with  her  hands.  .  .  .  Her  husband  is  known  in  the  gates, 
when  he  sitteth  among  the  elders  of  the  land."  ^  To  the  same 
effect  the  apostle  also  writes  :  "  Let  the  woman  learn  in  silence 
with  all  subjection.  But  I  suffer  not  a  woman  to  teach,  nor  to 
usurp  authority  over  the  man,  but  to  be  iii  silence.  .  .  . 
Notwithstanding  she  shall  be  saved  in  child-bearing,  if  they 
continue  in  faith  and  charity  and  holiness  with  sobriety."*  By 
such  helpfulness  at  home  a  married  wife  becomes  in  the  true 

1  Pet,  iii.  7.  ^  i  Pet.  iii.  4. 

3  Prov.  xxxi.  10-13,  23.  ^  I  Tim.  ii.  11,  12,  15. 


6o.  Hiishajid  and  Wife  are  one  Flesh.  405 

sense  the  husband's  other  half.  So  that,  while  complying  with 
the  requirements  of  his  rank  and  vocation,  he  exerts  himself 
for  the  greater  part  of  the  day  away  from  home  and  with 
people  on  the  street,  he  yet  can  enjoy  a  calm  and  easy  mind, 
knowing  as  he  does  that  his  other  half  has  been  left  at  home 
to  protect  the  household.  No  friend,  supposing  his  intentions 
to  be  ever  so  good,  can  in  these  matters  be  a  wife's  substitute 
and  perform  her  part. 

And  as  by  her  quiet  walk  and  decent  management  she  is 
thus  a  help  to  her  husband  in  the  things  of  the  outer  man,  so 
likewise  is  she  by  her  feminine  nature  better  qualified  than  any 
other  friend  to  help  him  in  what  concerns  the  i?i7ter  man.  The 
part  assigned  to  her  is  not  to  govern,  but  in  all  reasonable 
things  to  be  obedient  to  her  husband  :  she  is  to  have  nothing 
of  her  own,  but  in  every  respect  to  belong  to  him,  for  which 
reason  she  is  called  in  Scripture  "  woman."  ^  Moreover,  having 
been  endowed  with  a  quicker  susceptibility  of  love  than  the 
man,  she  is  thereby  enabled  more  easily  to  feel  as  if  they 
were  her  own  the  cares,  and  mortifications,  and  sorrows  which 
befall  her  husband,  and  to  Hghten  the  burden  for  him  by  bear- 
ing a  share  of  it.  Besides,  as  the  man  has  by  nature  a  hotter 
and  more  unquiet  blood,  so  that  cares  and  mortifications 
agitate  him  more  profoundly,  and  sooner  excite  him  to  repri- 
sals j  the  pious  wife,  on  the  other  hand,  by  her  calmer  frame 
of  mind,  and  tenderer  affection,  can  gently  moderate  the  fire 
when  it  threatens  too  violent  an  outbreak,  and  pacify  and  dis- 
sipate the  indignation  ere  it  has  time  to  draw  furrows  on  the 
brow.     Oh  yes — 

Buy,  if  thou  canst,  to  bless  thy  hfe, 
At  any  price,  a  faithful  wife. 

Such  is  the  blessing  of  Christian  wedlock,  and  it  is  not  with- 
held even  when  God  withholds  what  is  wedlock's  chief  orna- 
ment and  joy,  nay,  what  may  even  be  called  its  seal — viz.,  the 
fruit  of  the  body.     But  if,  over  and  above  the  blessing,  God  is 

1  Gen.  ii.  23. 


4o6  60.  Httsband  and  Wife  are  one  Flesh. 

pleased  to  make  a  marriage  fruitful,  it  then  appears  in  the 
clearest  light  what  the  word  meant  when  the  wife  was  called  a 
helj)  meet  to  the  man.  When  God  vouchsafes  children,  He 
vouchsafes  to  marriage  a  crown  of  honour ;  for  it  is  an  honour 
to  parents  to  be  deemed  worthy  of  giving  birth  to  an  immortal 
creature  for  His  service.  What  an  emotion  is  that  which  a 
father  feels  when  into  his  arms  is  laid  a  living  being  which, 
through  his  instrumentality,  has  been  brought  into  existence  ! 
When  we  look  upon  a  new-born  babe,  is  it  not,  as  a  father  of 
the  Church  has  said,  ^^  as  if  we  cciught  God's  hands  at  work  "  ? 
Now  in  this  crown  of  honour  the  wife  has  the  principal  share. 
She  is  the  mother  of  the  life,  as  Eve  was  called,  that  being  the 
meaning  of  her  name.^  Hers  is  the  bitterest  part.  With  pain 
must  she  carry  the  babe  in  her  womb,  with  pain  bring  it  forth, 
and  often  with  pain  give  it  suck.  It  is  she  who  in  the  house 
must  watch  for  the  growth  and  health  of  its  body  and  foster  the 
delicate  germs  of  its  spiritual  life.  Think  not  that  the  influence 
of  women  in  the  world  is  small.  Nothing  can  be  more  certain 
than  that  //  is  really  fr 0711  the  nurseries  that  the  world  is  governed, 
so  amazingly  great  is  the  power  which  mothers  exert  over  the 
bodily  and  spiritual  hfe  of  their  children.  How  would  the 
fathers  succeed  in  the  difficult  task  of  bringing  them  up  if  left 
to  themselves  and  without  their  wives  as  meet  helpers  ?  If, 
then,  the  hearts  of  husband  and  wife  have  previously  been 
blended  together,  how  perfectly  do  they  become  one  when 
they  have  children,  and  when  in  these  they  see  their  virtues 
and  faults  reflected  as  in  a  mirror,  when  in  common  they  share 
sorrow  or  joy  for  a  human  soul,  which  the  grace  of  God  has 
vouchsafed  to  them  as  a  peculiar  gift,  and  when  in  prayer  their 
hands  are  folded  together  upon  the  head  of  an  innocent  child  ! 
"  Lo,  children  are  an  heritage  of  the  Lord :  and  the  fruit  of 
the  womb  is  His  reward."  ^ 

Ought,  then,  a  contract  which  binds  two  human  souls  so 
closely  as  that  they  really  become  each  one  the  other's  half,  to 
be  broken  for  any  cause  soever  save  the  one  which  the  Lord 

1  Gen.   iii.  20.  ^  Psalm  cxxvii   3. 


6o.  HiLsband  and  Wife  are  one  Flesh.  407 

has  Himself  specified  ?     What  is  it  that  should  cut  asunder  a 
bond  which  He  has  twined?     Shall  severe  and  incurable  dis- 
ease, shall  madness  itself?     Shall  a  fall  so  great  as  even  to 
entail  public  disgrace  ?     Oh  no;  when  love  has  once  fused 
the  hearts  of  a  married  pair  into  one,  it  should  help  them  to 
bear  the  very  worst  of  evils.    And  even  though  the  hearts  were 
never  from  the  first  properly  united,  nor  God  consulted  in  the 
making  of  the  contract,  does  not  the  contract  still  continue 
holy  which  has  received  His  priestly  sanction,  and  over  which 
the  words,  JJjitil death  divide  y 021,  have  been  pronounced?     If 
the  twain  have  given  their  consent  in  the  presence  of  God, 
shall  man  presume  to  separate  what  He  has  joined  together? 
Perhaps  it  was  in  thoughtlessness  that  thou  didst  choose  thy 
mate,  and  thou  hast  since  repented;  but,  friend,  didst  thou 
not  know  that  this  was  a  contract  which  none  but  God  could 
break,  and  He  by  death  ?     And  if  that  was  known  to  thee, 
why  didst  thou  not  use  due  precaution  ?    Why  didst  thou  rush 
into  it,  as  if  it  had  merely  been  the  purchasing  of  a  piece  of 
furniture  or  the  renting  of  a  house  ?     Marriage  is  more  than  a 
mere  barter  of  bonnets.   Reflect  now  and  learn,  since  thou  didst 
not  learn  it  before,  what  the  proverb  says,  "  He  who  marries  in 
haste  will  repent  at  leisure."    Ought  the  contract  to  lose  its 
sacredness  because  thou  wert  thoughtless?   Let  the  bond  once 
be  relaxed  and  there  will  be  a  great  many  still  more  thought- 
less marriages.     The  more  you  give,  the  more  will  be  taken. 
They  say  that  the  fairest  garland  of  a  man's  life  is  a  happy 
marriage ;  and  it  is  also  true  that  an  unhappy  one  is  its  heaviest 
cross.     But  if  the  man  himself  have  bound  the  birch,  ought  he 
to  shrink  when  God  beats  him  with  it  ?     My  friend,  if  it  was 
with  a  thoughtless  heart  that  you  rushed  into  these  bonds,  only 
believe  that  to  cure  a  thoughtlessness  so  great  there  is  no  more 
powerful  remedy^than  the  bonds  themselves. 

"  If,"  says  Luther,  ''  thou  hast  a  sick  consort,  do  not,  for 
thy  life,  take  another,  but  serve  God  in  him,  and  nurse  him, 
and  be  persuaded  that  he  has  been  sent  by  God  into  thy  house 
to  be  to  thee  a  sacred  thing,  and  to  help  thee  to  win  heaven. 


408  60.  Husband  and  Wife  are  one  Flesh. 

And  blessed  art  thou  if  thou  recognisest  this  gift  and  blessing, 
and  takest  care  of  thy  husband  in  his  sickness  for  God's  sake. 
Let  God  take  care  for  thee,  and  be  assured  that  He  will  give 
thee  grace,  and  not  lay  on  thee  a  heavier  burden  than  thou  art 
able  to  bear." 

Again,  he  says  :  "  Hast  thou  an  ill-natured  ysYi^l  There  is 
no  nicer  cross  than  such  a  wife.  It  can  sift  the  dross  out  of 
a  man  more  effectually  than  Satan  himself."  As  for  other 
hardships  or  heartaches  which  thy  marriage  may  entail,  espe- 
cially if  they  be  without  thy  fault,  only  submit  to  them  ift  faith, 
and  thou  wilt  see  that  on  God's  part  they  were  not  ill  intended. 

It  is  true  the  Lord  says  that  on  account  of  the  hard-hearted- 
ness  of  the  people  Moses  was  permitted  to  relax  the  command- 
ment given  by  the  Almighty  in  Paradise,  and  to  allow  a  writing 
of  divorcement :  and  for  the  prevention  of  worse  evils  the  civil 
magistrate  among  ourselves  maybe  constrained  to  grant  a  like 
indulgence.  But  the  man  who  wishes  to  belong  to  the  flock 
of  Christ  owns  neither  Moses  nor  yet  the  civil  inagistrate  for  his 
master.  He  owns  the  Lord  alone,  and  the  Lord  has  said, 
"  Whosoever  shall  put  away  his  wife,  except  it  be  for  fornication, 
and  shall  marry  another,  committeth  adultery  :  and  whosoever 
marrieth  her  which  is  put  away  committeth  adultery."  ^  If, 
then,  thou  wouldst  have  Christ  for  thy  master,  thou  must  take 
up  the  cross  which  He  lays  upon  His  disciples.  Remember 
that  the  heavy  rod  was  of  thine  own  making,  and  try  to  learn 
patience  and  faith  under  its  strokes. 

Ah  me  !  if  our  youth  would  but  more  deeply  ponder  what  it  is 
to  choose  a  partner  to  be  of  one  spirit  and  one  flesh  with  them 
for  the  whole  of  their  pilgrimage  on  earth,  their  choice  would 
not  be  made  in  the  false  glare  of  a  theatre  or  ball-room.  Till 
death  divide  yon,  would  ring  perpetually  in  their  souls.  In 
the  light  of  day  they  would  choose,  and  by  the  light  of  God's 
Word  they  would  try  their  partner,  seek  the  advice  of  Christian 
friends,  and  not  join  hands  until  they  were  sure  of  the  divine 
Amen. 

'  1  Matt.  xix.  9. 


6 1.  Marriage  is  a  Mystery.  409 

61. 

fHarriarje  is  a  JEssterg. 

God  knits  Himself  to  man  in  wedlocks  ties  ; 
Oh  do  not  then  the  holy  state  despise  : 
And  if  its  real  beauty  thou  wouldst  see. 
Let  that  great  marriage  thine  ensample  be, 

Eph.  V.  21-33.  "  Submitting  yourselves  one  to  another  in  the 
fear  of  God.  Wives,  submit  yourselves  unto  your  own 
husbands,  as  unto  the  Lord.  For  the  husband  is  the 
head  of  the  wife,  even  as  Christ  is  the  Head  of  the  Church  : 
and  He  is  the  Saviour  of  the  body.  Therefore  as  the 
Church  is  subject  unto  Christ,  so  let  the  wives  be  to  their 
own  husbands  in  everything.  Husbands,  love  your  wives, 
even  as  Christ  also  loved  the  Church,  and  gave  Himself 
for  it;  that  He  might  sanctify  and  cleanse  it  with  the 
washing  of  water  by  the  Word,  that  He  might  present  it 
to  Himself  a  glorious  Church,  not  having  spot,  or  wrinkle, 
or  any  such  thing ;  but  that  it  should  be  holy  and  without 
blemish.  So  ought  men  to  love  their  wives  as  their  own 
bodies.  He  that  loveth  his  wife  loveth  himself  For  no 
man  ever  yet  hated  his  own  flesh ;  but  nourisheth  and 
cherisheth  it,  even  as  the  Lord  the  Church :  for  we  are 
members  of  His  body,  of  His  flesh,  and  of  His  bones, 
For  this  cause  shall  a  man  leave  his  father  and  mother, 
and  shall  be  joined  unto  his  wife,  and  they  two  shall  be 
one  flesh.  This  is  a  great  mystery  :  but  I  speak  concern- 
ing Christ  and  the  Church.  Nevertheless  let  every  one 
of  you  in  particular  so  love  his  wife  even  as  himself;  and 
the  wife  see  that  she  reverence  her  husband." 

HOW  indescribable  the  majesty  here  assigned  to  marriage 
in  being  set  forth  as  an  image  of  the  bond  by  which 
Jesus  and  His  Church  are  connected  !     "  Yea,"  says  Luther, 


410  6i.  Marj'iage  is  a  Mystery. 

"  so  highly  does  God  esteem  the  marriage  state,  that  by  His 
only  Son  He  has  implicated  Himself  in  its  bonds,  and  thereby 
been  united  to  us."  It  is  impossible  but  that  every  Christian 
must  keep  marriage  holy  and  undefiled,  and  guard  against  all 
lewdness  and  other  sin,  according  to  the  exhortation  of  St 
Paul,  "This  is  the  will  of  God,  even  your  sanctification,  that 
every  one  of  you  should  know  how  to  possess  his  vessel  in 
sanctification  and  honour."  ^  I  repeat,  no  Christian  who  has 
recognised  in  wedlock  the  type  of  the  Lord's  sacred  espousal 
to  the  Church,  can  fail  to  keep  it  holy  and  undefiled.  "  It  is 
a  great  mystery,"  says  the  apostle,  signifying  that  the  words  in 
which  holy  Scripture  speaks  of  the  marriage  bond  depict  at 
the  same  time  the  deep-felt  love  with  which  the  Lord  has  de- 
voted Himself  to  His  Church  and  become  one  flesh  with  it. 

Why,  then,  O  men,  do  you  still  seek  for  rules  and  precepts 
to  guide  your  conduct  in  married  life  so  as  to  be  acceptable  to 
God,  seeing  that  you  have  before  you  the  sacred  and  revered 
example  of  Jesus  Christ  loving  His  Church  even  unto  death  ? 
And,  ye  women,  why  do  ye  also  ask  for  direction  how  to  be- 
come good  wives  in  humility  and  obedience,  when  you  have 
before  you  the  worthy  example  of  the  Christian  Church  which 
has  given  itself  as  spouse  to  the  Saviour  ?  "  They  two  shall 
be  one  flesh,"  are  the  words  of  holy  Scripture.  Mark,  then, 
first  of  all,  as  here  foreshadowed  in  the  case  of  Christ  and  the 
Church,  how  husband  and  wife  may  be  made  one  flesh  by 
love.  Holy  Scripture  calls  the  Church  Christ's  body,  as  being 
"  the  fulness  of  Him  that  fifleth  all  in  all,"  ^  and  by  this  name 
intimates  that  the  two  are  wedded  to  each  other  in  the  same 
way  as  we  see  the  soul  and  the  body  are,  which  have  so 
thoroughly  coalesced  that  nothing  external  can  befall  the  body 
which  the  soul  does  not  at  the  same  time  feel  along  with  it ; 
and  neither  can  the  soul  be  either  sick  or  healthy  without 
infecting  the  body  with  its  sickness  or  health.  The  apostle 
has  also  depicted  the  marriage  of  Christ  and  the  Church  under 
a  different  emblem,  calling  Him  the  Church's  Head  and  the 
1  I  Thess.  iv.  3,  4.  2  Eph.  i.  23. 


6l.  Marriage  is  a  Mystery.  411 

Church  His  members.  Now  there  is  no  joy  or  sorrow  experi- 
enced by  the  members  which  the  head  does  not  share  \  and, 
on  the  other  hand,  if  the  noble  head  be  sick,  must  not  the 
whole  body  suffer  with  it  ?  The  most  obvious  lesson,  there- 
fore, which  this  high  example  proclaims  is,  that  the  love  of 
husband  and  wife  should  be  so  great,  that  in  regard  to  all  good 
things,  whether  visible  or  invisible,  there  should  be  no  question 
between  them  of  mine  and  thine,  but  that  whatever  belongs  to 
the  one  ought  equally  to  be  the  other's,  whether  sweet  or  sour, 
good  or  bad. 

Although,  however,  the  twain — soul  and  body,  head  and 
members — have  thus  been  made  one,  and  neither  can  any 
longer  continue  apart  and  independent  of  the  other,  still  their 
business  and  vocation  are  different,  for  to  the  soul  and  to  the 
head  pertains  the  right  of  government,  whereas  the  appointed 
office  of  the  body  and  members  is  to  serve.  Accordingly  holy 
Scripture  has  everywhere  assigned  to  the  husband  this  prero- 
gative of  the  head,  and  has  specially  said  of  him  that  he  is  the 
"  image  and  glory  of  God,  but  the  woman  is  the  glory  of  the 
man  \  "  ^  the  reason  being,  that  to  the  man  more  than  to  the 
woman  has  been  given  the  ability  to  wield  the  sceptre  with 
kingly  spirit,  and  kingly  power  and  might;  whereas  to  the 
woman,  as  the  man's  helpmate,  the  duty  is  assigned  of  carry- 
ing out  his  ideas,  aiding  and  serving  him  in  the  work  and 
business  of  his  life,  and  becoming  in  this  way  his  image,  just 
as  he  himself  is  the  image  of  God.  The  meaning  of  the 
apostle  is  this  :  the  man  is  already  in  himself  a  complete  and 
entire  human  being,  perfectly  able  to  fulfil  the  end  for  which 
he  is  here  on  earth  destined  by  God,  as  is  shown  us  by  the 
example  of  the  Lord  Jesus;  the  woman,  however,  as  the 
apostle  tells  us,  was  created  for  the  man's  sake  to  do  such 
things  as  are  subservient  to  the  completion  of  the  work  which 
he  has  to  do.  For  this  reason  the  apostle  has  also  required 
that  the  woman  shall  have  a  badge  of  power  (that  is,  of  her 
husband's  power)  upon  her  head,^  by  which  he  means  the  veil, 
1  I  Cor.  xi.  7.  2  I  coj..  xi.  lo. 


412  6i.  Maj'riage  is  a  Mystery. 

as  the  acknowledgment  of  her  subordinate  position,  her  weak- 
ness, and  Hability  to  fall.  No  less  as  regards  things  spiritual 
has  the  man  been  appointed  to  take  the  lead  in  knowledge 
and  doctrine,  as  the  apostle  ordains,  saying,  "  Let  your  women 
keep  silence  in  the  churches  :  for  it  is  not  permitted  unto 
them  to  speak  ;  but  they  are  commanded  to  be  under  obedi- 
ence, as  also  saith  the  law.  And  if  they  will  learn  anything, 
let  them  ask  their  husbands  at  home :  for  it  is  a  shame  for 
women  to  speak  in  the  church."  ^  In  virtue,  then,  of  these 
prerogatives,  the  man  is  the  image  of  Jesus  Christ,  who,  as  He 
is  the  Head  of  the  Church  and  the  Saviour  of  the  body,  exer- 
cises the  whole  government  of  it,  and  prescribes  to  the  mem- 
bers what  they  ought  to  do.  And  high  and  honourable,  O 
men,  is  the  post  to  which  you  have  thus  been  preferred.  Not 
in  vain,  however,  has  it  been  written,  "  Unto  whomsoever 
much  is  given,  of  him  shall  be  much  required."  For  it  is  to 
you  that  the  apostle  addresses  the  following  words :  "  Hus- 
bands, love  your  wives,  even  as  Christ  also  loved  the  Church, 
and  gave  Himself  for  it ;  that  He  might  sanctify  and  cleanse 
it  with  the  washing  of  water  by  the  Word,  that  He  might  pre- 
sent it  to  Himself  a  glorious  Church,  not  having  spot,  or 
wrinkle,  or  any  such  thing ;  but  that  it  should  be  holy  and 
without  blemish.  So  ought  men  to  love  their  wives  as  their 
own  bodies."  Do  you  know,  then,  O  men,  how  it  was  that 
Christ  the  Lord  loved  the  Church,  when  He  came  down  from 
the  glory  of  the  Father,  and  for  our  sakes  became  poor;  when 
He  took  upon  Him  our  miserable  flesh,  emptied  Himself 
wholly  of  His  greatness,  and  then  shed  for  us  His  holy  and 
precious  blood  ?  Well,  is  it  a  love  like  this  with  which  you 
devote  yourselves  to  your  wives — these  weaker  vessels  ?  Do 
you  seek  to  inspire  their  minds  with  great  and  divine  thoughts  ? 
Do  you  employ  them  in  no  other  than  divine  works?  Do 
you  set  before  them  a  heavenly  example,  and  with  great  humil- 
ity and  kindness  of  heart  do  you  forgive  them  and  bear  with 
their  infirmities,  endeavouring  that  the  choice  you  have  made 

1  I  Cor.  xiv.  34,  35. 


6i.  Marriage  is  a  Mystery.  413 

of  them  to  be  the  partners  of  your  Hfe,  may  conduce  at  the 
same  time  to  make  them  partakers  of  the  everlasting  and  im- 
perishable life  in  God  ?  Observe,  the  wife  is  made  subject  to 
you  by  the  divine  Word ;  but  are  not  you  made  subject  to  the 
wife  by  love  ?  And  if  you  essay  to  love  after  the  example  of 
Christ  the  Lord,  you  must  necessarily  begin  at  the  same  time 
to  serve,  according  to  the  words  that  once  fell  from  His  sacred 
lips,  "  The  Son  of  Man  came  not  to  be  ministered  unto,  but 
to  minister ; "  and  just  as  His  whole  life  was  an  incessant 
ministry  of  love,  by  which  He  sought  to  captivate  the  heart  of 
His  Church.  Yes ;  it  is  indeed  a  high  and  arduous  post  of 
honour  to  which  you  are  promoted  by  the  designation  of  head 
of  the  wife  here  conferred  upon  you  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  even 
as  Christ  is  the  Head  of  the  Church. 

On  the  other  hand,  O  wives,  be  it  your  endeavour  to  win 
the  affection  of  your  husbands,  as  the  Church  does  that  of 
Christ.  That  which  a  Christian  Church  principally  seeks  is, 
to  put  away  all  that  is  its  own,  and  to  appropriate  only  what 
is  the  Lord's;  to  renounce  the  tastes  and  desires  that  are 
proper  to  itself;  to  have  no  business  or  vocation  other  than 
that  which  the  Lord  and  Master  has  prescribed,  and  to  count 
every  behest  of  His  its  joy  and  pleasant  food.  Even  so  be  it 
yours  to  abnegate  whatever  is  your  own,  seeing  that  God  has 
made  you  the  helpers  of  your  husbands,  to  have  no  business 
but  theirs,  and  to  do  whatever  you  do  for  their  sake.  Yea,  as 
your  duty  is  to  forget  not  only  yourselves  in  their  cause  and 
for  their  interests,  but  likewise  your  father  and  mother,  and 
sister  and  brother,  does  not  this  imply  that  you  ought  to 
become  one  flesh  with  them,  just  as  they  on  their  part  are 
bound  to  forsake  father  and  mother  and  cleave  to  you  ?  Inas- 
much, however,  as  the  mutual  propension  which  makes  two 
hearts  one  may  come  from  the  flesh  and  not  from  the  spirit, 
husband  and  wife  should  give  heed  to  the  words  of  the  apostle, 
"  Submitting  yourselves  to  one  another  in  the  fear  of  God ;"  1 
and  to  the  lesson  which  he  teaches  in  another  passage,  where 

1  Eph.  V.  21. 


414  6 1.  Marriage  is  a  Mystery. 

he  says  :  "  Neither  is  the  man  without  the  woman,  neither  the 
woman  without  the  man,  in  the  Lord.  For  as  the  woman  is 
of  the  man,  even  so  is  the  man  also  b)^  the  woman ;  but  all 
things  of  God."  ^  For  as  thy  husband,  however  good  he  may 
try  to  be,  is  not  Christ  the  Lord,  what  is  enjoined  upon  thee 
is  not  a  blind  obedience.  God's  service  must  go  before  that 
of  all  earthly  masters  ;  and  therefore  before  the  service  which 
is  due  by  a  wife  to  her  husband  and  master.  "  Whether  it  be 
right  in  the  sight  of  God  to  hearken  unto  you  more  than  unto 
God,  judge  ye,"  ^  is  what  a  Christian  wife  will  have  courage  to 
say  even  to  her  husband,  if  he  asks  her  to  do  anything  which 
Christianity  forbids,  as  the  apostle  Peter  had  courage  to  say 
it  to  his  magistrates.  This  must  not,  however,  be  inter- 
preted in  a  carnal  sense,  as  if  at  every  unfair  requirement  it 
were  right  in  the  wife  to  resist  the  husband.  The  apostles 
only  resisted  the  magistrates  when  required  by  them  to  sup- 
press the  word  of  God  and  to  keep  silence;  and  even  so 
a  Christian  wife  is  at  liberty  to  refuse  obedience  only  in  things 
which  her  conscience  tells  her  would  imperil  the  salvation  of 
her  soul.  Moreover,  in  respect  that  it  does  not  pertain  to  the 
wife  to  teach  but  to  seek  doctrine  and  instruction  from  her 
husband,  in  the  event  of  his  subjecting  her  conscience  to  sore 
grievance,  her  duty  would  be  to  apply  to  intelligent  friends 
and  ministers  for  advice.  In  like  manner,  ye  men  ought  not 
to  be  subject  to  your  wives  in  the  love  that  springs  from  the 
flesh,  but  solely  in  that  which  has  its  source  in  the  spirit. 
And  because  the  apostle  was  alive  to  the  danger  of  loving 
a  wife  from  a  carnal  motive,  he,  at  a  time  when  great  hard- 
ships impended  over  Christians,  dissuaded  the  brethren  and 
sisters  from  marrying,  because,  as  he  said,  "  He  that  is  un- 
married careth  for  the  things  that  belong  to  the  Lord,  how  he 
may  please  the  Lord :  but  he  that  is  married  careth  for  the 
things  that  are  of  the  world,  how  he  may  please  his  wife."  ^ 
Conjugal  affection  owes  its  origin  not  singly  and  solely  to  the 
Holy  Spirit,  but  partly  to  the  fact  that  human  beings,  by  their 
^  I  Cor.  xi,  II,  12.  2  Acts,  iv.  19.  3  j  Qqx.  vii.  32,  33. 


6i.  Marriage  is  a  Mystery.  415 

natural  constitution,  and  rank,  and  mode  of  life,  are  adapted 
for  each  other — which  is  another  evidence  of  the  hand  of  God, 
and  of  His  intention  to  bring  them  together.  It  is  possible, 
therefore,  that  the  husband  and  likewise  the  wife  may  choose 
to  be  mutually  complaisant  and  helpful,  solely  from  such 
natural  attachment,  whereas  both  have  but  one  Master,  at 
whose  service  they  ought  chiefly  to  aim,  even  in  serving  one 
another.  Let  married  persons,  therefore,  in  all  things  "  prove 
what  is  that  good  and  acceptable*will  of  God."  ^ 

If  there  be  any  who  entertain  conscientious  scruples  about 
the  lawfulness  of  marriage,  whether  founded  upon  the  apostle's 
words,  *'  concerning  the  things  whereof  ye  wrote  unto  me,"  ^ 
(I  answer)  "//  is  good  for  a  i7ian  not  to  touch  a  woman.  Never- 
theless, to  avoid  fornication,  let  every  man  have  his  own  wife, 
and  let  every  woman  have  her  own  husband  :  "  ^  or  upon  the 
words  of  our  Lord, — "  There  be  eunuchs,  which  have  made 
themselves  eunuchs  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven's  sake.  He 
that  is  able  to  receive  it,  let  him  receive  it :  "  ^  or  upon  the 
fact  that  our  blessed  Lord  and  Master  did  not  Himself  enter 
into  the  state  of  matrimony,  —  the  following  considerations 
ought  to  be  weighed.  In  the  first  place,  as  regards  the  ex- 
ample of  our  Saviour,  it  cannot  be  conceived  that,  possessing 
as  He  did  such  immeasurable  perfection.  He  could  possibly 
have  found  a  friend,  and  far  less  a  wife,  fit  in  a  human  sense 
to  be  His  other  half.  In  the  second  place,  His  divine  heart 
was  far  too  great  to  have  any  need  of  such  a  helper,  or  to  be 
satisfied  with  any  single  soul.  Rather  had  He  from  the  begin- 
ning espoused  for  His  bride  a  great  Church,  which  no  man 
can  number,  even  the  vast  multitude  of  those  who  should 
believe  in  His  name.  And  this  Church  has  been  not  only 
His  bride,  but  His  posterity :  His  bride,  to  whom  it  was  His 
pleasure  to  betroth  and  unite  Himself  in  wedlock;  His  pos- 
terity, of  whom  it  is  written,  "  He  shall  see  His  seed,  and  the 

1  Rom,  xii.  2. 

2  They  had  asked  his  opinion  on  the  subject  of  marriage  in  general. 

3  I  Cor,  vii.  I,  2.  ^  Matt,  xix,  12. 


41 6  6i.  Marriage  is  a  Mystery. 

pleasure  of  the  Lord  shall  prosper  in  His  hand."  ^  For  being 
the  High  Priest  of  the  New  Testament,  He  had  a  heart  that 
was  utterly  consumed  by  loving  zeal  for  the  redemption  and 
spiritual  regeneration  of  the  unnumbered  miserable  souls  with 
whom  He  had  entered  into  actual  wedlock  by  taking  upon 
Him  their  flesh  and  blood.  And  now,  among  His  followers, 
there  is  many  a  priestly  soul  whose  vocation  here  on  earth  is 
to  beget  only  a  spiritual  offspring ;  and  such  are  they  of  whom 
He  says  that  they  have  made  themselves  eunuchs  for  the  king- 
dom of  heaven's  sake,  having  been  inclined  neither  by  the 
flesh  nor  the  spirit  to  devote  themselves  solely  to  a  single 
heart.  No  private  Christian,  however,  let  him  be  as  pious  as 
he  may,  can  either  take  oft  or  choose  for  himself  so  priestly  and 
spiritual  a  frame  of  mind ;  and  this  the  Lord  expresses  when 
He  says,  "  He  that  is  able  to  receive  it,  let  him  receive  it." 
And  to  the  same  purpose  as  his  Master  the  apostle  has  said, 
"  If  they  cannot  contain,  let  them  marry ;  for  it  is  better  to 
marry  than  to  burn."  ^  And  again,  "  Every  man  has  his  proper 
gift  of  God,  one  after  this  manner,  and  another  after  that."  ^ 
What  he  means  is,  that  no  one  ought  to  plume  himself  on 
account  of  such  a  gift,  or  fancy  that  it  alone  raises  him  above 
all  others  in  the  kingdom  of  God,  inasmuch  as  it  rather  is 
quite  a  peculiar  gift,  and,  on  the  other  hand,  other  gifts  may  be 
given  to  other  men  and  in  other  ways,  which  are  quite  as  excellent. 
If,  again,  the  scruple  as  to  marriage  rests  upon  the  manifold 
sins  which  are  committed  in  it,  such  as  anger,  impatience, 
and,  above  all,  carnal  indulgence,  and  if  that  is  thought  reason 
enough  why  the  child  of  God  ought  to  remain  unmarried,  it 
must  be  considered  that,  being  the  most  ancient  of  all  states, 
and  an  institution  of  God  Himself,  it  cannot  possibly  be  worse 
than  any  other.  On  the  contrary,  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews 
declares  that  "  marriage  is  honourable  in  all ; "  ^  and  St  Paul 
speaks  in  strong  terms  against  the  prohibition  of  it,  saying, 
"  The  Spirit  speaketh  expressly,  that  in  the  latter  times  some 
shall  depart  from  the  faith,  giving  heed  to  seducing  spirits, 
1  Isa.  liii.  lo.  ^  i  Cor.  vii.  9.  "^  \  Cor.  vii.  7.  ^  Heb.  xiii.  4. 


6 1.  Marriage  is  a  Mystciy.  417 

and  doctrines  of  devils ;  speaking  lies  in  hypocrisy ;  having 
their  conscience  seared  with  a  hot  iron  ;  forbidding  to  marry T^ 
Against  such  teachers  Luther  also  inveighs,  saying  :  "  It  is 
admitted  by  all  that  the  life  of  married  persons  is  not  wholly 
pure  and  sinless ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  tell  me  what  other 
divinely-instituted  state  is  without  sin.  On  the  same  principle 
I  ought  never  to  preach  a  sermon;  no  man  or  maid  ought 
to  enter  into  service;  the  magistrate  ought  not  to  wield  the 
sword,  nor  the  nobleman  to  mount  his  horse.  In  this  earthly 
life  we  shall  never  be  so  pure  as  to  perform  any  work  without 
sin.  The  article,  *  I  believe  in  the  forgiveness  of  sin,''  must 
keep  its  place  in  the  Creed;  and  the  petition  in  the  Lord's 
Prayer,  ^Forgive  us  oicr  debts ^^  must  be  daily  used.  Thou 
mayst  be  certain,  therefore,  that  neither  in  respect  of  thy 
spiritual  nor  bodily  man  has  God  elected  thee  to  belong  to 
the  priestly  souls,  who  have  nothing  else  on  earth  to  do  but 
to  serve  Him  and  advance  His  cause.  Do  not,  therefore,  let 
thy  conscience  trouble  thee  about  a  state  of  life  which  God 
instituted  in  Paradise,  and  which  in  truth  may  become  above 
many,  nay,  above  all  other  states,  a  school  of  moderation  and 
patience,  and  especially  of  ministering  charity." 

O  Thou  chaste  and  holy  Priest,  who,  even  while  sojourning 
here  upon  earth,  and  wearing  our  flesh  and  blood,  didst  cherish 
only  a  spiritual  love,  sanctify  our  natural  love  that  it  may  be 
more  and  more  spiritualised.  Free  it  from  all  defilement,  im- 
purity of  heart,  selfishness,  and  obduracy.  Teach  us  to  love 
each  other  as  Thou  hast  loved  us.  Oh,  how  well  in  the  state 
of  marriage  may  the  selfish  heart  expand  and  fuse  itself  into 
another  !  How  in  this  special  school  may  it  daily  and  hourly 
learn  submissively  to  minister  and  aff'ectionately  to  obey ! 
Make  us,  O  Thou  heavenly  and  holy  Love,  helpers  to  each 
other  for  the  life  eternal.  Our  desire  is  to  be  so  by  mutual 
admonition  when  deviating  from  the  right  way,  by  confessing 
in  Thy  presence  wherein  we  lack  resemblance  to  Thine  image, 
by  strengthening  each  other  for  prayer  and  supplication,  and 
1 1  Tim.  iv.  1-3. 
2  D 


41 8  62.  Fear  the  Lord,  and  it  shall 

encouraging  to  those  works  of  compassion  and  charity  which 
are  acceptable  to  Thee.  We  desire,  O  holy  High  Priest,  to 
please  each  other  better  only  by  seeking  to  be  more  pleasing 
to  Thee.  We  feel  that  in  proportion  as  our  love  and  devoted- 
ness  to  Thee  increase,  so  likewise  does  our  love  to  each  other. 
The  flame  burns  with  a  pure  and  heavenly  brightness,  and 
melts  and  blends  our  hearts  more  closely  into  one.  What 
cannot  be  overcome,  what  cannot  be  borne,  when  hearts  are 
linked  together  in  Thee !  Help  us,  O  Lord,  to  love  each 
other  in  Thy  love. 


62. 

Jcar  tl^e  Hotb,  anb  it  sjall  ibe  inell  fcait]^  tjee  anti  tjg  i^oase. 

A  house,  if  founded  i?t  the  fear 
Of  God,  aloft  its  top  will  rear. 

And  touch  the  very  sky. 
For  as  the  happy  inmates  breathe 
Celestial  air  the  roof  beneath, 

They  must  to  heaven  be  nigh. 

Psalm  cxxviii.  i.   "  Blessed  is  every  one  that  feareth  the  Lord ; 
that  walketh  in  His  ways." 

HERE  we  have  the  living  fountain  of  the  blessing  whicli 
rests  upon  the  conjugal  and  domestic  state.  When 
worldly  prudence  attempts  to  choose  a  wife  and  form  a  house- 
hold, it  can  apply  its  hand  only  to  so  much  of  the  work  as  has 
its  seat  upon  earth,  and  is  visible  to  the  eye  of  sense.  It  builds, 
so  to  speak,  the  first  and  the  second  story,  adds  cornice  and 
pediment,  and  the  fabric  presents  a  fair  appearance — but  it  has 
no  foundation.  Whenever  you  see  the  household  of  a  married 
pair  continuing  to  defy  every  storm,  you  may  be  sure  that  it 


be  well  with  thee  and  thy  House.  419 

rests  upon  a  sure  foundation,  lying  beyond  the  reach  of  human 
sense,  and  that  that  foundation  is  the  fear  of  the  Lord.  To  the 
fear  of  the  Lord,  therefore,  the  holy  Psalmist  has  wisely  given 
a  place  in  front  of  this  beautiful  psalm,  which  celebrates  the 
blessing  that  descends  upon  conjugal  and  domestic  life.  It  is 
as  if  he  wished  to  say  to  all,  Friends,  he  who  would  see  a 
flourishing  tree  with  widespread  branches  and  ample  foliage, 
must  first  of  all  take  care  to  have  it  well  rooted  in  the  ground. 
And  in  like  manner,  if  thou  desire — and  none  can  desire  a 
worthier  object — to  have  a  wife  as  a  fruitful  vine  by  the  sides 
of  thine  house,  and  children  like  olive-plants  round  about  thy 
table,  to  eat  abundantly  of  the  labour  of  thy  hands,  and  to 
bequeath  to  thy  children's  children  an  after-enjoyment  of  the 
blessing,  set  about  vigorously  to  pray  that  the  Spirit  of  God 
may,  above  all  other  things,  implant  a  right  fear  in  thy  heart, 
that  so  in  all  the  concerns  of  thy  station  and  married  life  thou 
mayst  never  be  found  walking  on  other  ways  than  those  which 
are  pleasing  in  the  Lord's  sight.      Long  ago  they  used  to 

sing- 
Seek  God  in  every  word  and  deed, 
And  all  you  do  will  well  succeed  ; 
But  if  you  try  another  plan, 
Your  luck  will  end  where  it  began. 

Verse  2.    "  For  thou  shalt  eat  the  labour  of  thine  hands  :  happy 
shalt  thou  be,  and  it  shall  be  well  with  thee." 

"  It  is  not,"  says  Luther,  ''  the  leather  that  feeds  the  cobbler, 
nor  the  crop  the  farmer,  nor  his  sermons  the  preacher.  These 
are  but  the  means  and  appliances  by  which  God  provides  them 
with  food."  In  like  manner  it  is  the  divine  will  that  the  labour 
of  the  husband  should  establish  the  household ;  and  this  labour, 
when  exercised  in  obedience  to  God,  is  a  daily  sacrifice  of 
praise,  which  man  and  wife  working  together  present  to  Him 
as  a  sweet-smelling  savour  from  morn  to  night.  More  than 
this,  it  serves,  like  the  flap  which  drives  midges  away,  to  expel 
from  the  mind,  especially  of  married  people,  the  unprofitable 


420  62.  Fear  the  Lord,  and  it  shall 

thoughts  and  fooHsh  talk  which  the  flesh  might  otherwise  breed. 
It  is,  no  doubt,  the  curse  and  penalty  of  sin  that  man  must  eat 
his  bread  in  the  sweat  of  his  countenance;  but,  as  in  so  many 
other  instances,  so  likewise  in  this  has  Christ  the  Lord  con- 
verted the  curse  into  a  blessing ;  and  now  the  labour,  which  a 
Christian  man  cheerfully  commences  with  prayer  and  finishes 
to  the  glory  of  God,  does  nothing  but  bless  both  his  temporal 
and  spiritual  life.  For  this  reason  ought  every  Christian  not 
merely  to  take  home  the  admonition  of  the  son  of  Sirach, 
''  Hate  not  laborious  work,  neither  husbandry,  which  the  Most 
High  hath  ordained;  "  ^  but  rather,  while  his  hands  are  busy,  to 
thank  and  praise  God  for  having  by  his  dear  Son  changed  that 
which  was  an  evil  into  a  good.  Mark  how  cheerfully  the  Word 
of  God  here  calls  aloud  to  man,  while  sweating  and  fretting 
with  discontented  mind  over  his  daily  task,  "  Happy  shalt  thou 
be,  and  //  shall  be  well  wtih  thee.''  Inasmuch,  then,  as  there 
can  be  no  deception  in  the  words  which  the  Holy  Spirit 
addresses  to  the  numerous  host  of  God's  children,  who  are 
bearing  the  burden  and  heat  of  the  day,  there  must  of  necessity 
be  a  pearl  concealed  in  the  cup,  although  it  often  seems  very 
bitter  to  the  taste.  Yes,  and  to  myself  I  will  now  say,  "  It  is 
well  with  thee  ;"  even  though  thy  hand  and  cheek  are  glowing 
hot,  and  the  sweat  is  dripping  from  thy  brow :  in  spite  of  all 
thy  toil  "  it  is  well  with  thee  ;"  for,  being  as  thou  art  a  recon- 
ciled child  of  God,  thy  labour  is  a  sacrifice  of  obedience  with 
which  the  Father  is  well  pleased,  and  which  He  will  cause  to 
prosper,  so  that  it  shall  issue  in  good  to  thyself,  to  thy  family — 
yea,  to  thy  fellow-men,  both  in  town  and  country. 

Verse  3.  "  Thy  wife  shall  be  as  a  fruitful  vine  by  the  sides 
of  thine  house  :  thy  children  like  olive-plants  round  about 
thy  table." 

How  plainly  in  these  words  the  royal  Psalmist  shows  that 
God  is  not  hostile  to  an  honourable  marriage,  but  makes  it 
1  Ecclus.  vii.  15. 


be  well  with  thee  and  thy  House.  42 1 

bear  unspeakably  precious  fruit !  This  he  does  in  two  beautiful 
emblems,  in  which  he  compares  the  wife  to  a  vine  and  the 
children  to  the  olive.  These  are  the  noblest  among  the  trees, 
and  it  is  from  them  that  the  two  choicest  juices  are  derived. 
Just  as  a  vine  climbs  to  the  top  of  a  house,  fastens  to  it  on  all 
sides,  and  at  every  window  and  door  offers  its  sweet  and  spark- 
ling clusters ;  even  so,  the  Psalmist  here  tells  us,  does  a  wife 
in  this  so  poor  and  feeble,  so  hot  and  toilsome,  life  of  ours, 
offer  for  the  refreshment  of  an  industrious  husband  pleasant 
fruits  of  every  sort  and  in  every  way.  Indeed  no  language 
could  more  beautifully  depict  how  great  and  desirable  a  good 
a  faithful  wife  is  to  her  husband.  And  just  as  olive-branches 
placed  around  a  banqueting-table  diffuse  verdure  and  freshness, 
and  give  to  the  food  a  double  relish,  so  do  his  children  impart 
Hfe  and  spirit  to  the  mid-day  meal,  and  the  father  is  recruited 
from  his  fatigue,  and  keenly  enjoys  his  daily  bread,  even 
although  sweetened  by  nothing  else.  Let  the  reader,  however, 
be  careful  to  note  what  in  the  first  verse  is  laid  as  the  foundation 
of  such  happiness.  For  be  assured,  that  if  a  household  is  not 
founded  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord,  nor  their  walk  well-pleasing  in 
His  sight,  a  lamentable  contrast  to  it  all  will  ensue.  In  place 
of  a  vine  thy  wife  will  become  a  thistle-head,  which  will  sting 
thee  on  whatsoever  side  it  is  taken  hold  of;  and  thy  children 
nettles,  which  will  burn  thee  wherever  thou  comest  into  contact 
with  them.  And  as  when  the  dam  gives  way  the  waters  brook 
no  control,  so  who  can  control  the  variance  which  breaks  out 
in  a  family  between  husband  and  wife,  or  between  parents  and 
children,  as  break  out  it  inevitably  will  when  the  fear  of  God 
is  cast  behind,  for  none  but  they  who  fear  God  ever  try  to  be 
peacemakers.  It  is  written  of  an  angry  man,  that  "  a  stone  is 
heavy  and  the  sand  weighty,  but  a  fool's  wrath  is  heavier  than 
them  both.  Wrath  is  cruel,  and  anger  is  outrageous."^  And 
of  a  bad  wife  it  is  said,  "  I  had  rather  dwell  with  a  lion  and  a 
dragon,  than  to  keep  house  with  a  wicked  woman.  All  wicked- 
ness is  but  little  to  the  wickedness  of  a  woman."  ^     The  mean- 

1  Prov.  xxvii.  3,  4.  ^2  Ecclus.  xxv.  16,  19, 


422  62.  Fear  the  Lord,  and  it  shall 

ing  is  the  same  when  Solomon  avers,  "  A  continual  dropping 
on  a  rainy  day  and  a  contentious  woman  are  alike."  ^  For 
these  reasons,  let  him  who  has  yet  to  choose  a  partner  set  about 
in  the  true  fear  of  God,  and  then  the  Lord  will  give  him  one 
who  will  become  as  a  vine  round  about  his  house.  "  House 
and  riches,"  says  the  wise  man,  "  are  the  inheritance  of  fathers  ; 
but  a  prudent  wife  hfrom  the  Lord."  ^  And  again  :  "  Favour 
is  deceitful,  and  beauty  is  vain ;  but  a  woman  that  feareth  the 
Lord,  she  shall  be  praised."  ^ 

Verse  4.     "  Behold,  that  thus  shall  the  man  be  blessed  that 
feareth  the  Lord." 

If,  then,  thy  heart  be  set  upon  obtaining  such  a  blessing,  be 

sure  to  make  the  fear  of  the  Lord  the  foundation  on  which 

thou  rearest  the  fabric  of  thy  conjugal  state;  and  in  order  that 

thy  marriage  may  be  blessed,  ask  God  to  make  the  match,  and 

Christ  to  be  a  guest  at  the  wedding,  as  He  once  was  at  that 

in  Cana.     He  will  then  be  a  third  party  in  the  contract ;  and 

wherever  He  is  present  there  cannot  fail  to  be  also  a  blessing. 

And  if  thou  art  conscious  of  receiving  it,  forget  not  to  express 

to  Him  thy  gratitude.     To  the  unbelieving  eye,  the  fact  that 

thou  hast  a  wife  and  children,  and  eatest  the  labour  of  thy 

hands,  appears  to  be  the  work  of  nature ;  but  he  who  has  the 

eye  of  faith  sees  nothing  in  it  but  the  blessing  of  the  Lord, 

and  cannot  cease  presenting  to  Him  oblations  of  thankfulness 

and  praise.     The  more  he  cherishes  a  believing  frame  of  mind, 

and  discerns  in  wife  and  child  the  imprint  of  a  divine  gift,  the 

more  does  he  endeavour  to  discharge  the  gratitude  of  his  heart 

in  good  works.     The  sight  of  his  wife — the  goodly  vine — recalls 

to  his  mind  the  beautiful  proverb  of  our  pious  fathers, — 

Hold  thou  thy  married  wife 
Dear  as  thy  very  Hfe, 
She  will  thy  goods  protect, 
And  win  for  thee  respect, 
And  be  thy  faithful  friend 
Till  death  thy  days  shall  end. 

1  Prov.  XXV ii.  15.  ^  Prov.  xix.  14.  ^  Prov.  xxxi.  30. 


be  well  with  thee  and  thy  House.  423 

And  when  he  looks  upon  his  oHve-plants — the  children — he 
says, — 

Come  ye,  who  great  and  mighty  are, 
Oh,  come  and  humbly  minister 

To  the  yet  stainless  child  ; 
And  deem  not  this  an  office  mean, 
For  heavenly  angels  watch  unseen 

Around  the  undefiled. 


Verse  5.    "  The  Lord  shall  bless  thee  out  of  Zion:  and  thou 
shalt  see  the  good  of  Jerusalem." 

So  then,  as  here  we  learn,  cities  are  built  up  by  the  families 
whom  the  Lord  blesses.  How  high  in  His  favour  must  stand 
the  married  pair  who  fear  Him,  seeing  that  on  their  account 
He  promotes  the  good  of  cities,  and  for  the  sake  of  the  vine 
and  olive-branches  which  thou  hast  at  home  upholds  kings  and 
magistrates,  and  gives  peace,  more  precious  than  gold,  to  the 
land !  It  is  true  that  the  Almighty  strengthens  the  hands  of 
civil  governors  by  special  methods  known  only  to  Himself, 
and  yet  any  one  can  observe  how  peace  and  the  blessing  from 
on  high,  when  they  have  first  entered  into  private  families, 
help  also  to  fortify  the  thrones  of  princes.  For  it  certainly  is 
the  case,  as  the  apostle  has  said,  that  "  if  a  man  know  not  how 
to  rule  his  own  house,  how  shall  he  take  care  of  the  Church  of 
God  ?  "  ^  It  is  impossible  that  peace  can  dwell  in  the  land,  or 
encompass  the  thrcme,  unless  with  a  blessing  in  its  train  it 
dwell  in  private  houses.  And  no  small  advantage  is  it  when, 
for  the  sake  of  thy  pious  household,  God  is  pleased  to  build 
up  the  king's  throne,  and  bestow  the  gift  of  peace  on  the  whole 
land.  For  what  would  it  profit  thee  though  thy  house  were 
filled  with  all  manner  of  good  things,  and  though  thy  wife 
were  as  a  vine  and  thy  children  like  olive-plants,  if  every  villain 
had  the  power  to  lay  violent  hands  upon  them  ?  Well  does 
the  German  proverb  show  how  precious  a  gift  is  peace  when  it 
says  that  the  head  of  a  family,  if  possessed  of  two  cows,  does 

1  I  Tim.  iii.  5. 


424  62.  Fear  the  Lord,  and  it  shall 

well  to  part  with  one  of  them  in  order  to  be  able  to  keep  and 
reap  undisturbed  the  good  of  the  other. 

And  you  great  and  mighty  ones,  who  occupy  the  seat  of 
government  in  a  land,  well  would  it  be  were  you  more  seriously 
to  consider  by  what  means  the  honour  and  sanctity  of  the 
married  state  would  best  be  maintained,  seeing,  as  you  here 
do,  that  for  the  sake  of  a  husband  and  wife,  who  fear  God  and 
rightly  govern  their  household,  the  divine  grace  promises  its 
blessings  to  whole  countries. 

Verse  6.  "  Yea,  thou  shalt  see  thy  children's  children,  and 
peace  upon  Israel." 

The  Psalmist,  desiring  to  sum  up  all  the  good  things  with 
which  God  blesses  wedlock  when  conducted  in  His  fear,  and 
to  depict  all  the  joy  with  which  it  is  crowned,  does  not  omit 
to  speak  of  the  supreme  delight  vouchsafed  to  parents  when 
they  see  their  seed  multiplied  after  them  ;  for  if  they  have  suc- 
ceeded in  sowing  the  fear  of  God  in  their  children,  they  then 
also  behold  how  every  seed  bears  fruit,  in  some  ten,  and  in 
some  an  hundred  fold.  Oh  what  a  blessing  it  is  when  in  the 
evening  of  his  days  an  aged  Simeon  lays  himself  down  upon 
the  bed  of  languishing,  and  when  the  olive-branches  which  he 
once  planted,  and  which  have  since  themselves  become  fruit- 
ful stocks,  assemble  around  him  with  all  their  little  shoots,  and 
his  spirit  departs  in  peace,  upborne  by  the  prayers  of  the  many 
souls  whom  he  himself  first  taught  to  pray ! 

O  blessed  household,  which  as  with  a  wreath 
The_/t'ar  of  God  entwines  !     O  life  that  flows 

Calm  and  unrufified  by  the  tempest's  breath, 
Ahke  as  when  unclouded  sunshine  glows  ; 

For  at  the  sacred  spell  around  it  thrown, 

The  awe-struck  storm  forgets  its  angry  groan. 

Say,  how  can  heart  with  heart  have  true  communion 
Till  in  00(1' s  heart  they  both  their  centre  find  ? 

The  spirits'  Father  ^  gives  to  spirits  union, 
And  tunes  to  harmony  the  will  and  mind. 


1  Heb.  xii.  9. 


be  well  with  thee  and  thy  House.  425 

'Tis  only  when  a  common  stem  they  grace, 
That  two  fair  rosebuds  mutually  embrace. 

And  must  not  peace  find  in  that  house  a  home 
Where  reigns  one  sovereign  will  without  dispute, 

Giving  discretion  for  command  to  some, 
To  others  skill,  and  strength  to  execute  ; 

So  that,  even  in  this  world  of  strife,  we  see 

How  heavenly  angels  dwell  in  unity  ? 

They  ply  their  several  tasks,  but  unattended 

By  irksomeness  of  toil  is  all  they  do. 
It  is  as  if  some  angel  had  descended 

To  ease  their  burdens,  and  their  strength  renew. 
The  curse  that  mingles  sweat  with  toil  is  gone. 
And  from  above  the  Lord  rains  blessings  down. 

O  happy  house  !   O  life  like  that  in  heaven, 

\^iih  fear  of  God  as  with  a  garland  crowned  ! 
Let  first  of  all  the  heart  to  Him  be  given, 

Ere  earthly  idols  there  a  shrine  have  found ; 
And  should  affection's  stream  in  us  run  dry. 
He  from  the  fountain  will  the  lack  supply. 


63. 

buffer  littk  CfjiltJrcn  to  route  unto  fHe, 

Thou  sayest,  The  babe  is  MINE, 

/'//  tram  him  as  I  list ; 
But,  sure,  ere  he  was  thine, 

He  appertaitied  to  Christ. 
And  wilt  thou  not  a  charge  so  dear, 

For  Him  who  lent  it  to  thee,  rear  ? 

Psalm  cxxvii.  3.  "  Lo,  children  are  an  heritage  of  the 
Lord  :  and  the  fruit  of  the  womb  is  His  reward." 

Matt.  xix.  14.  "Suffer  little  children,  and  forbid  them  not, 
to  come  unto  me;  for  of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven." 

Eph.  vi.  4.    "Ye  fathers,    provoke   not   your   children  to 


426        6^.  Suffer  little  Children  to  come  tmto  Me. 

wrath  ;  but  bring  them  up  in  the  nurture  and  admonition 
of  the  Lord." 

"  1\  /r  ANY  children  make  many  prayers,  and  many  prayers 
IVX  bring  much  blessing."  Yes,  verily,  when  we  reflect 
how  highly  God  must  esteem  the  man  to  whom  He  gives  chil- 
dren, we  see  that  there  ought  to  be  no  end  of  prayer  and  sup- 
plication and  thanksgiving.  That  He  has  sent  children  into 
a  house  is  of  itself  a  sufficient  reason  for  Him  to  send  His 
blessing  too.  To  give  existence  and  life  is  a  work  which  the 
divine  Majesty  has  usually  reserved  to  Himself.  What,  then, 
shall  we  think  of  giving  existence  and  life  to  an  i^nmortal  being 
made  in  the  divine  image  I  How  dreadful  that  so  excellent  a 
grace  is  by  men  contaminated  with  sin,  so  high  a  prerogative 
dishonoured  in  the  service  of  lust !  If  mere  existence  in  this 
present  world  is  of  no  worth,  unless  the  present  world  become 
a  training-school  for  the  world  to  come,  how  audacious  to  be- 
stow an  earthly  existence  upon  a  human  spirit  without  a  seri- 
ous purpose,  formed  in  the  sight  of  God,  of  training  "it  for 
heaven  !  He  commits  a  wrong  who  becomes  a  father  and 
does  not  at  the  same  time  undertake  the  sacred  duty  of  rearing 
his  child  for  eternity. 

What  the  Lord  has  affirmed  concerning  them  ought  to  be 
enough  of  itself  to  make  the  care  of  the  young  one  of  the 
holiest  occupations  in  life.  Once  when  the  Twelve  were  dis- 
puting with  each  other  which  of  them  should  be  the  greatest. 
He  took  a  child  and  set  him  in  the  midst  of  them  :  and  when 
He  had  taken  him  in  His  arms.  He  said  unto  them  :  "  Who- 
soever shall  receive  one  of  such  children  in  my  name,  receiveth 
me  :  and  whosoever  shall  receive  me,  receiveth  not  me,  but 
Him  that  sent  me."  ^  On  another  occasion  He  put  His  hands 
on  the  children,  and  prayed  and  said  :  "  Suffer  little  children, 
and  forbid  them  not,  to  come  unto  me ;  for  of  such  is  the 
kingdom  of  heaven."  ^  ''Verily  I  say  unto  you,  Whosoever 
shall  not  receive  the  kingdom  of  God  as  a  little  child  shall  in 

1  Mark,  ix.  36,  37.  ^  Matt.  xix.  14. 


6^.  SiLJfer  little  Children  to  come  unto  Me.        427 

no  wise  enter  therein."  ^  No  doubt  some  who  pretend  to  be 
masters  of  Scripture  have  wrongly  interpreted  these  sayings, 
inferring  from  them  that  the  Lord  looked  upon  little  children 
as  being  in  all  respects  spotless  and  perfect,  like  the  blessed 
angels  in  heaven  ;  but  it  is  said  that  Adam  begat  children  "  in 
his  own  likeness,  after  his  image,"  ^  and  in  Adam  the  image  of 
God  was  then  defaced.  If  the  Lord  have  set  them  up  as  a 
pattern  to  us  in  one  respect,  He  has  not  done  so  in  all,  and 
Paul  writes :  "  Brethren,  be  not  children  in  understanding."  ^ 
What  the  Lord  loved  in  the  little  ones  was,  their  knowing  so 
well  that  they  cannot  stand  upon  their  own  feet,  but  must  seek 
wisdom  and  strength  and  welfare  at  their  mother's  bosom.  Of 
a  like  disposition  were  the  persons  whom  he  enlisted  in  His 
service,  and  only  such  as  these  have  admission  into  the  king- 
dom of  heaven.  Not  a  few  interpreters  suppose  that  He  spake 
also  of  children  when  He  said,  "  Whoso  shall  offend  one  of 
these  little  ones  which  believe  in  me,  it  were  better  for  him 
that  a  millstone  were  hanged  about  his  neck,  and  that  he  were 
drowned  in  the  depth  of  the  sea  ;"^  and  again,  in  a  subsequent 
verse,  —  "Take  heed  that  ye  despise  not  one  of  these  little 
ones ;  for  I  say  unto  you.  That  in  heaven  their  angels  do 
always  behold  the  face  of  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven."^  In 
my  opinion,  however,  when  He  so  spake.  He  had  in  His  eye 
those  of  His  disciples  who  possessed  a  childlike  frame  of  mind, 
and  who  clung  to  His  breast  as  children  do  to  a  mother's ;  for 
He  specifies  "  one  of  these  little  ones  which  believe  in  vier  In- 
asmuch, however,  as  such  disciples  have  the  same  disposition 
spiritually  which  little  children  have  naturally,  it  may  doubtless 
be  said  that  they  both  belong  to  the  same  family,  and  that 
therefore  it  ought  not  to  be  forbidden  to  apply  to  the  one 
what  has  been  affirmed  of  the  other. 

According,  therefore,  to  the  word  of  Christ  Himself,  the 
jewel  in  the  souls  of  children  is  the  sacred  ti'iistfuhiess  with 
which  they  look  to  their  parents  for  strength  and  counsel  and 

1  Luke,  xviii.  17.  ^  Gen.  v.  3.  3  ^  Cor.  xiv.  20. 

■*  Matt,  xviii.  6.  5  ]\,iatt.  xviii.  10. 


428        6^.  Sniffer  little  Children  to  come  unto  Me. 

help ;  and  what  He  desires  is,  that  they  who  love  Him  should 
repose  in  Him  a  similar  trust,  and  such  a  trust  for  certain  He 
will  never  deceive.  Is  it  possible,  then,  that  any  parents  who 
are  leaning  on  the  bosom  of  the  Saviour  with  the  same  reliance 
with  which  their  children  lean  upon  theirs,  and  who  are  con- 
strained to  confess  that  He  never  gave  them  a  stone  when  they 
asked  for  bread, — is  it  possible,  I  repeat,  that  such  parents  can 
ever  prevail  upon  themselves  to  give  to  their  children  in  place 
of  bread  a  stone,  and  in  place  of  a  fish  a  serpent  ?  Oh  no,  is 
the  answer  from  the  heart  of  every  father  and  every  mother. 
Oh  no,  they  cry,  and  yet  they  do  it.  For  this,  in  fact,  is  done 
by  all  who  leave  untutored,  or  at  least  without  the  nurture  and 
admonition  of  the  Lord,  the  early  age  when  children  cling  to 
parents  with  absolute  confidence,  and  ever  seek  to  catch  their 
eye,  as  if  imploring,  Do  yoit  guide  us,  for  we  cannot  guide  our- 
selves. What  else  is  the  eye  of  your  child  constantly  directed 
to  yours,  and  confidently  endeavouring  to  read  what  he  ought 
to  do,  but  a  perpetual  petition  to  the  efi'ect,  Give,  oh  give  me 
spiritual  bread  ?  And  when,  in  place  of  giving  them  that,  you 
leave  them  without  the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord, 
or  any  direction  as  to  the  way  in  which  they  ought  to  go,  you 
really  give  them  what  the  Scripture  calls,  "^//^^y"  meaning 
by  the  term,  an  occasion  of  temptation  and  fall.  And  think 
what  the  Lord  has  said  respecting  those  who  ofi"end  a  youthful 
soul,  whether  it  be  a  disciple  or  a  child.  He  has  said,  that  to 
be  drowned  in  the  lowest  depths  of  the  sea,  which  was  the 
severest  punishment  inflicted  upon  criminals  in  this  present 
world,  would  still  be  light  when  compared  with  that  which  is 
reserved  for  them  in  the  world  to  come.  Alas  !  it  would  be 
impossible  to  number  the  parents  and  teachers  who,  according 
to  this  saying,  would  certainly  perish,  were  there  not  comfort 
in  the  thought  that  they  know  not  what  they  do. 

It  goes  to  one's  heart  to  see  a  young  tree  which,  while  still 
slender  and  soft,  might  have  been  trained  to  grow  straight  and 
bear  fruit,  and  show  a  beautiful  head,  abandoned  instead  as  a 
prey  to  insects  of  every  kind,  and  left  exposed  to  injuries  of 


6^.  S2tffer  little  Children  to  come  wito  Me.        429 

the  weather  and  the  rough  hand  of  the  forest  thief.  It  is  a 
terribly  earnest  saying,  that  to  corrupt  a  child  is  as  great  a  crime 
as  to  seduce  a  maid.  Yes,  for  the  souls  of  children  are  virgin 
souls ;  and  if  the  angels,  who  see  the  face  of  God,  are  not 
ashamed  to  minister  to  them,  how  can  men, — how  can  you 
who  are  parents  and  teachers,  be  negligent  in  such  a  service  ? 
In  fact,  if  it  be  right  to  speak  of  meriting  a  divine  reward,  there 
is  no  merit  so  enviable  as  that  of  saving  the  soul  of  a  child. 
The  noblest  of  all  missions  is  into  the  world  of  youth.  This 
is  the  field  which  yields  the  increase  of  an  hundred-fold. 

Now,  what  we  require  to  give  to  children  we  must  ourselves 
first  of  all  possess.  The  least  of  such  gifts  is  daily  bread,  and 
with  respect  to  it  man  is  not  worse  off  than  the  beast  of  the 
field  and  the  fowl  of  the  air.  Kin  cleaves  to  kin,  and  the  tree 
does  not  disown  its  own  fruit. 

Poor  though  she  be,  a  mother's  arm 
Will  shield  her  babe  from  cold  and  harm. 

And  so  parents  take  thought  for  the  daily  bread  of  their 
children,  and  provide  it,  not  merely  for  the  present,  but  even 
for  the  future.  Here,  however,  the  devil  lays  for  them  a  special 
snare ;  for  in  how  many  cases  do  we  find  that  a  niggardly  spirit 
enters  the  house  along  with  the  children  1  But  if  there  be  truth 
in  Luther's  saying,  that  God,  who  is  rich,  allots  to  every  child 
committed  to  a  parent  an  inheritance  of  its  own,  into  possession 
of  which  it  infallibly  comes,  whether  the  parents  live  or  die, 
prosper  in  the  world  or  come  to  poverty, — why  wilt  thou  not 
rather  say  to  thy  children  as  Luther  did  to  his,  "  I  do  not  leave 
you  riches,  \^vX  I  leave  you  a  r/r/2  God"?  How  large  soever 
may  be  the  treasures  which,  by  scrimping  from  morn  to  night, 
you  may  accumulate  for  your  children,  they  will  be  a  far  smaller 
fortune  than  if  you  bequeathed  to  them  a  true  and  simple  and 
sincere  faith  in  the  rich  God  of  heaven. 

The  next  thing  which  children  are  entitled  to  receive  from 
parents  is  education  and  training  for  the  station  in  life  to  which 
they  are  called.     If  it  be  true  that  next  to  the  wife  of  his  heart 


430        6^.  Suffer  little  Children  to  come  7mto  Me. 

a  man  can  find  no  greater  good  upon  earth  than  a  profession 
which  he  loves,  and  if  this  be  a  matter  upon  which  parents 
have  to  decide  for  their  children,  how  great  the  responsibility 
which  it  involves  !  What  is  it,  then,  that  generally  determines 
the  choice  which  parents  make  ?  Is  it  a  serious  attention  to 
the  voice  of  God,  uttering  itself  in  the  circumstances  and  outward 
relatio7ts,  but  most  of  all  in  the  capacity,  of  the  child  ?  Alas  ! 
in  how  many  cases  is  it  not  caprice,  or  unbelieving  parsimony, 
or  ostentation,  or  conceit,  which  decide  the  point  ?  How  many 
have  been  thrown  into  a  false  career  by  the  mere  whim  of 
having  the  son  take  the  father's  place  ?  How  many  by  infidel 
niggardness,  which  insisted  on  seeing  before  it  would  trust,  and 
how  many  more  hy pride?     There  is  truth  in  the  proverb — 

"  Pity  the  man  who  takes  in  hand 
The  task  he  does  not  understand, 
And  what  he  could  do  lets  alone, — 
No  wonder  he  is  soon  undone. " 

Many  have  thus  been  shipwrecked,  and  frequently  has  it  been 
the  parents'  fault.  And  yet,  when  the  powers  and  capacities  of 
the  youth  prove  insufficient  for  the  calling  into  which  he  was 
forced  solely  by  their  conceit,  how  often  do  they,  in  place  of 
condemning  themselves,  revile  God,  and  cry  out  that  nature 
had  neglected  and  been  a  stepmother  to  their  child  I  whereas  you 
yourselves  have  been  the  stepmothers,  and  would  not  listen  to 
God's  voice,  who  never  meant  your  son  to  be  an  instrument 
for  accomplishing  great  and  mighty  things.  You  grieve  when 
your  infant,  in  place  of  being  hale  and  sound,  comes  into  the 
world  a  cripple,  and  you  would  deem  it  the  height  of  cruelty 
to  make  a  cripple  of  him  yourselves ;  and  yet,  ye  proud  and 
unbelieving  parents,  in  the  vanity  that  consumes  you,  make 
your  children  cripples  in  mind  !  For  just  as  an  instrument  is 
put  out  of  shape  when  pushed  into  a  case  which  does  not  fit  it, 
so  may  a  man's  whole  nature  be  crippled  and  distorted  when 
he  is  forced  into  a  profession  for  which  God  never  designed 
him.  By  such  conduct  foolish  parents  sin  against  their  children, 
whose  minds  they  deform — against  God,  to  whose  voice  they 


6^.  Suffer  little  Children  to  come  itnto  Me.        431 

do  not  listen — and  against  their  fellow-men,  who  are  defrauded 
of  the  benefit  of  talents  which  might  otherwise  have  profitably 
ministered  to  them. 

The  chief  and  peculiar  gift,  however,  due  by  parents  to 
children,  is  the  nurture  of  the  inner  man  and  tnitioft  in  the  Word 
of  God.  It  is  written,  "  The  Lord  said,  Shall  I  hide  from  Abra- 
ham that  thing  which  I  do ;  seeing  that  Abraham  shall  surely 
become  a  great  and  mighty  nation,  and  all  the  nations  of  the 
earth  shall  be  blessed  in  him  ?  For  I  know  him,  that  he  will 
command  his  children  and  his  household  after  him,  and  they  shall 
keep  the  way  of  the  Lord,  to  do  justice  and  judgmcjitr  ^  So 
highly  did  God  esteem  in  His  servant  Abraham  the  bringing 
up  of  his  children  in  piety  !  In  this  way,  by  the  mere  educa- 
tion of  their  ofi"spring,  may  parents  earn  for  themselves  heaven 
or  hell.  In  the  passage  where  the  apostle  says  of  the  woman, 
— "  Notwithstanding  she  shall  be  saved  in  child-bearing,  if  they 
continue  in  faith  and  charity  and  holiness  with  sobriety,"  ^  he 
does  not  speak  merely  of  bringing  children  into  the  world,  but 
of  what  that  infers — viz.,  their  up-bringing  and  tuitioji;  for  he 
supposes  that  the  mother  herself  continues  in  the  faith,  and,  as 
a  consequence,  also  understands  the  right  way  of  bringing  them 
up.  Yes,  fathers  and  mothers,  to  no  teacher  in  the  whole 
world  has  the  task  of  making  Christians  of  your  children  been 
made  so  easy  as  to  you ;  for  if  confidence  is  a  stretched-out 
hand,  towards  whom  is  the  hand  of  a  child  stretched  out  more 
than  towards  his  parents?  You  would  count  it  a  crime  to 
offer  them,  when  they  are  hungry;  and  ask  of  you  earthly  bread, 
nothing  at  all,  or  perhaps  a  stone  j  and  would  it  be  no  crime 
if,  when  they  held  out  their  hand  for  spiritual  bread,  you  were 
to  give  them  nothing,  or,  what  is  worse  than  nothing,  falsehood 
in  place  of  truth  ?  Recollect  that  the  worldly  and  sceptical 
spirit  has  not  as  yet  interposed  its  bar,  so  that  in  the  breast  of 
a  child  holy  truths  may  be  lodged  and  take  root  so  firmly  that 
no  wind  of  doubt  or  worldly  pleasure  shall  ever  be  able  to 
extirpate  them.  The  season  of  childhood,  however,  passes 
1  Gen.  xviii.  17-19.  2  j  Tim,  ii,  15. 


432        63.  Suffer  little  Children  to  come  unto  Me. 

away,  and  is  succeeded  by  one  in  which  there  are  no  longer 
open  doors  in  the  mind  for  faith  to  enter.  You  must  not,  how- 
ever, merely  teach  religion,  you  must  show  it  to  your  children, 
and  make  your  life  their  school-book.  Of  a  truth  the  child 
who  in  seasons  of  deep  affliction  has  learned  from  the  example 
of  his  father  or  mother  what  it  is  to  pray^  will  never  in  after- 
years,  even  though  he  may  deviate  very  far  from  the  path  of 
truth,  entertain  a  mean  opinion  of  the  power  of  prayer.  At  a 
more  advanced  stage  of  life  he  may  make  the  acquaintance  of 
pious  men,  but  then  doubts  of  their  sincerity  will  always  intrude. 
If,  however,  a  child,  until  he  has  reached  a  riper  age,  has  in 
his  father's  house  witnessed  the  fear  of  God  pervading,  con- 
trolling, and  animating  all  that  was  done,  never  more  will  he 
be  able  to  doubt  that  piety  is  a  great  blessing  and  a  truth. 
With  whatever  violence  sceptical  theories  may  assail  him,  still, 
just  as  no  one  can  be  brought  by  the  most  subtle  arguments 
to  doubt  the  reality  of  the  material  world  around  him,  so  no 
one  who  in  his  childhood  has  been  privileged  to  gaze  into 
the  paradise  of  a  pious  life,  can  ever  doubt  of  its  existence ; 
whereas  he  who  has  not  yet  entered  it  may  hear  it  so  depre- 
ciated and  absurdly  spoken  of  that  he  will  never  enter  it 
at  all. 

Beware,  ye  who  are  parents,  oi  harsh  severity;  but  beware,  also, 
of  lax  iiidtdgence.  "  It  is  God's  will,"  as  Luther  tells  us,  "  that 
we  should  honour  Him  in  two  ways — the  one,  by  loving  Him 
as  2^  father  on  account  of  the  benefits  He  has  bestowed  or  will 
bestow ;  the  other,  by  fearing  Him  as  2^  judge,  who  has  punished 
us  already  and  will  do  so  again.  For  this  reason  it  is  that  by 
the  mouth  of  the  prophet  He  says  :  *  If,  then,  I  be  a  father, 
where  is  my  love  ?  ^  and  if  I  be  a  master,  where  is  my  fear  7  '  ^ 
Fathers  are  an  image  of  God  ;  and  being  both  fathers  and 
masters  of  their  children,  they  ought  to  be  both  loved  and 
feared."  In  former  days,  no  doubt,  it  was  too  much  the  practice 
of  fathers  to  govern  by  fear,  especially  among  the  heathen, 
where  they  exercised  the  right  of  putting  their  children  to  death. 
1  Luther's  vers.  2  Mai,  j.  6. 


6^.  Suffer  little  Children  to  come  tmto  Me.        433 

And  it  is  for  this  reason  that  the  apostle  addresses  to  fathers, 
who  were  of  heathen  origin,  the  special  exhortation  "  not  to 
provoke  their  children  to  wrath."  ^  To  the  same  purpose 
Luther  also  says  :  "  The  child  that  has  once  been  intimidated 
and  disheartened  is  rendered  useless  for  everything,  and  fears 
and  trembles  whatever  he  is  called  upon  to  do  or  attempt ; 
and  what  is  worse,  if  timidity  have  been  allowed  to  take  hold 
of  his  mind  in  childhood,  there  will  be  difficulty  in  rooting  it 
out  in  his  whole  after-life  j  for  as  he  was  wont  to  quake  at  every 
word  of  father  and  mother,  he  will  continue  to  tremble  at  the 
rustling  of  a  leaf."  In  another  passage  he  also  says,  "  Children 
ought  not  to  be  too  severely  beaten.  My  father  once  beat  me 
so  severely  that  I  fled  from  his  sight,  and  sulked  at  him  until  he 
used  means  to  reconcile  me."  Often,  too,  have  pious  parents 
gone  astray  by  attempting  to  force  the  piety  of  their  children 
by  legal  means,  enjoining  upon  them  prayer,  and  reading  the 
Bible,  and  going  to  church,  too  exclusively  as  mere  external 
works,  and  not  reflecting  that  the  piety  of  the  young  cannot 
wear  the  same  serious  face  as  that  of  the  old.  In  this  way  they 
have  embittered  the  cheerful  sports  of  their  boys  and  girls,  and 
so  hindered  them,  when  grown  up  to  be  youngmen  and  women, 
from  acquiring  any  experience  of  the  world.  A  piety  that  has 
thus  been  made  to  wear  a  rueful  countenance  in  youth  has 
often  been  followed  by  a  feeble  and  spiritless  manhood,  or  has 
broken  out  into  knavery  in  after  years.  Upon  this  subject, 
likewise,  Luther,  who  was  so  great  a  foe  to  all  hypocrisy,  has 
beautifully  said  :  "  Here  we  have  a  king  for  our  schoolmaster, 
and  an  excellent  one  he  is.  He  does  not  forbid  the  young  to 
go  into  company,  or  indulge  in  mirth,  as  the  monks  do  with 
their  disciples.  In  that  case  they  would  grow  up  mere  dolts 
and  blockheads,  as  even  Anselm,  who  was  the  parent  of  mona- 
chism,  has  told  us.  For  he  says  that  a  youth  so  tackled  and 
secluded  from  society  is  like  a  fine  young  tree,  which  might 
have  borne  fruit  had  it  not  been  planted  in  a  pot.  Monks 
imprisoned  the  young  like  birds  in  a  cage,  and  thereby  pre- 
1  Eph.  vi.  4;  Col.  iii.  21. 
2  E 


434        63.  Suffer  littk  Children  to  come  unto  Me. 

vented  them  from  seeing  or  hearing  or  talking  with  other  per- 
sons. It  is,  however,  dangerous  for  them  to  be  thus  left  alone 
and  cut  off  from  society.  They  ought,  on  the  contrary,  to  be 
allowed  to  hear  and  see  and  acquaint  themselves  with  all  man- 
ner of  persons  and  things,  in  such  sort,  however,  as  to  be  kept 
in  moderation  and  decency.  Nothing  is  gained  by  monastic 
restraint.  It  is  good  for  a  young  man  to  be  much  in  company, 
provided  at  the  same  time  he  be  trained  up  in  integrity  and 
virtue,  and  withheld  from  vice.  The  tyrannical  constraint  of 
monks  is  altogether  hurtful ;  for  mirth  and  amusements  are  as 
needful  to  youths  as  meat  and  drink,  and  are  likewise  the  means 
of  keeping  them  in  health." 

On  the  other  hand,  this  age  of  ours  has  grown  so  soft  and 
maidenish,  that  it  will  no  longer  suffer  the  rod  to  be  used  to 
children.  According  to  the  words  of  Luther,  "  False  natural 
affection  blinds  parents  to  such  a  degree,  that  they  care  more 
for  the  flesh  than  for  the  souls  of  their  offspring.  It  is,  how- 
ever, of  the  highest  necessity  that  every  parent  shall  pay  a  far 
greater  and  deeper  and  more  constant  attention  to  the  soul  of 
his  child  than  to  the  flesh,  ivhich  has  been  derived  from  himself ; 
and  that  he  shall  look  upon  him  in  no  other  light  than  as  a 
costly  and  immortal  treasure  committed  by  God  to  his  care,  in 
order  that  it  may  be  neither  stolen  nor  destroyed  by  the  devil 
or  the  flesh."  The  wise  man  of  old  has  said  that  "  he  that 
spareth  his  rod  hateth  his  son :  but  he  that  loveth  him  chas- 
teneth  him  betimes." ^  ''Thou  shalt  beat  him  with  the  rod, 
and  shalt  deliver  his  soul  from  hell."^  And  the  son  of  Sirach 
says  :  "  Cocker  thy  child,  and  he  shall  make  thee  afraid  ;  play 
with  him,  and  he  will  bring  thee  to  heaviness ;  laugh  not  with 
him,  lest  thou  have  sorrow  with  him,  and  lest  thou  gnash  thy 
teeth  in  the  end.  Give  him  no  liberty  in  his  youth,  and  wink 
not  at  his  follies.  Bow  down  his  neck  while  he  is  young,  and 
beat  him  on  the  sides  while  he  is  a  child,  lest  he  wax  stubborn, 
and  be  disobedient  unto  thee,  and  so  bring  sorrow  to  thine 
heart." ^     No  doubt  it  is  better  if  the  end  can  be  gained  with- 

1  Prov.  xiii.  24.  ^  Piov.  xxiii.  14.  ^  Ecclus.  xxx.  9-12. 


62.  Suffer  little  Children  to  come  tmto  Me.        435 

out  the  use  of  the  rod,  for  the  human  being  has  received  from 
God  an  intelHgent  mind,  and  is  capable  of  affection  and  confi- 
dence ;  and  tlie  preferable  way  is  to  begin  when  he  is  young 
to  govern  him  by  the  feelings  of  his  heart.  Naturally,  however, 
children  are  more  affected  by  impressions  made  upon  the 
senses  than  by  reasons  addressed  to  the  understanding,  and  it 
is  also  profitable  and  right  to  employ  such  impressions  in  aid 
of  the  word  of  exhortation.  Besides,  it  accustoms  the  child 
to  understand  what  retribution  is.  The  mere  enticements  ot 
love  and  kindness  in  the  hands  of  the  heavenly  Father  some- 
times fail  of  success  with  us,  who  are  His  perverse  children, 
and  so  it  behoves  Him  to  have  the  rod  always  ready  as  well 
as  the  sweetmeats ;  and  far  less  shall  we  be  able  to  forego  the 
use  of  it  towards  our  children. 

As  soon,  then,  as  a  parent  observes  that  bei7ig  always  good 
to  his  child  is  no  longer  doi7ig  the  child  good,  he  ought  in  all 
that  relates  to  God  and  good  morals  wholly  to  forget  that  the 
child  is  his  own  flesh  and  blood,  and  to  recollect  that  He,  to 
whom  the  right  to  punish  belongs,  has  put  the  rod  into  the 
hands  of  parents  as  well  as  of  magistrates,  and  that  it  is  their 
duty  to  use  it — not,  indeed,  in  the  ebullition  of  carnal  pas- 
sion, but  in  the  name  and  for  the  service  of  the  Most  High. 
A  great  Emperor,  Frederick  IL,  once  said,  "  I  have  sometimes 
repented  of  my  severity,  but  never  of  my  clemency."  There  is, 
however,  reason  to  fear  that  in  these  days  of  ours  parents  will 
have  to  say  the  very  contrary.  A  good  iiitejition  is  now  thought 
to  make  so  many  things  good,  and  yet  it  can  never  falsify  what 
experience  has  proved,  that  "  Well  ifitended  is  oft  lamented." 
Be  persuaded,  then,  O  parents  !  not  to  follow  so  much  the  in- 
clinations of  your  heart,  but  rather  the  admonitions  of  holy 
Scripture,  and  in  the  training  of  the  young  prefer  the  Word  and 
the  law  of  God  to  all  the  suggestions  of  your  own  mind. 

Dear  Master,  if  life  is  to  go  well  with  us  who  are  advanced 
in  years,  vouchsafe  once  more  true  piety  to  our  youth.  The 
Christian  Church  is  now  using  great  exertion  in  the  way  of 
sending  the  Gospel  by  missions  to  the  heathen,  and  that,  also, 


436        63.  Suffer  little  Children  to  come  tinto  Me. 

is  a  work  consistent  with  Thy  holy  will  and  commandment ; 
but  do  Thou  on  that  account  all  the  more  stir  up  among  us 
who  tarry  at  home,  a  warm  zeal  to  institute  missions  without 
number  among  the  young.  Abroad  Thy  servants  have  much 
to  do  before  they  succeed  in  gaining  the  love  and  confidence 
of  the  heathen,  and  inducing  them  to  inquire  after  the  way  of 
salvation  ;  whereas  our  children  affectionately  look  up  with 
eager  eyes,  expecting  to  receive  from  us  the  bread  of  life. 
Yes,  verily,  if  the  man  who  aspires  to  be  a  preacher  would  but 
consider  how  many  useful  sermons  he  might  preach  by  con- 
versing more  frequently  with  the  little  ones,  and  implanting 
divine  truth  more  largely  in  their  hearts,  the  kingdom  of  God 
might  be  built  up  among  us  much  more  effectually  than  has 
ever  yet  been  done.  Gracious  God,  incline  Thy  heart  to  our 
children  ;  take  upon  Thyself  the  training  of  them,  and  make  of 
them  a  holy  nation,  whose  sacrifices  of  love  and  obedience 
may  put  to  shame  those  who  have  grown  to  manhood  and  old 
age.  Thy  Word  declares  that  "  out  of  the  mouths  of  babes 
and  sucklings  Thou  hast  perfected  praise;"  fill,  then,  their 
mouths  with  Thy  praise,  and  mould  them  to  be  new  foundation- 
stones  for  Thy  spiritual  Zion. 

If  holy  zeal  inflame  thy  breast 
To  publish  to  the  world  that  they 
Who  love  the  Lord  alone  are  blest, 
And  who  His  holy  laws  obey, 
Choose  the  soft  hearts  among  the  throng 
Of  sinners,  and  address  Xh.^  young. 

To  chmes  beyond  the  sea  you  hie, 
Where  Hottentots  and  Hindoos  dwell ; 
And  though  all  day  aloud  you  cry, 
Few  listen  to  the  tale  you  tell. 
While,  lo  !  at  home  the  children  dear. 
Around  you  flock  the  truth  to  hear. 

What  means  the  keen  and  silent  gaze 
They  fix  on  yours ?    "Oh  tell  us  true 
What  evfl  is,  what  good,"  it  says  ; 
"  We  want  no  other  guide  hut  you." 
Why  then  the  little  ones  disdain. 
Or  where  a  better  audience  gain  ? 


64.  Do  good  tinto  all  Men.  437 

64. 

230  poti  unto  all  fHm, 

Pity  the  man  condemned  to  see. 

As  guests  aroutid  his  table  set. 
Early  and  late,  a  company 

To  all  ofwhofn  he  is  in  debt. 

Helpless  myself,  to  Thee  I  cry. 
Lord,  save  me  from  this  misery  ; 
For  round  me  wife  and  children  stand, 
And  7nan  and  maid  on  every  hand. 
And  payment  of  their  bills  demand. 

Gal,  vi.  10.  "As  we  have  therefore  opportunity,  let  us  do 
good  unto  all  men,  especially  unto  them  who  are  of  the 
household  of  faith." 

Gal.  vi.  i.  "  Brethren,  if  a  man  be  overtaken  in  a  fault,  ye 
which  are  spiritual  restore  such  an  one  in  the  spirit  of 
meekness;  considering  thyself,  lest  thou  also  be  tempted." 

James,  v.  19,  20.  "Brethren,  if  any  of  you  do  err  from  the 
truth,  and  one  convert  him ;  let  him  know,  that  he  which 
converteth  a  sinner  from  the  error  of  his  way  shall  save  a 
soul  from  death,  and  shall  hide  a  multitude  of  sins." 


"  ^^ZE  shine  as  lights  in  the  world,"  writes  the  apostle  to  the 
X  Philippian  Church. ^  Do  I  shine  as  a  light  in  the 
circle  in  which  God  hath  set  me  ?  That  is  a  question  which 
sometimes  goes  suddenly  like  a  sword  through  my  soul.  I  am 
conscious  that  God  has  done  more  for  me  than  for  others. 
Am  I,  then,  doing  more  than  others  for  Him  and  them  ?  I 
am  conscious  of  having  free  access  to  a  source  of  purifying  and 
sanctifying  power.  Do  men  see  the  marks  of  this  in  my  char- 
acter ?  Is  it  manifest  in  me  that  I  am  of  the  number  whom 
the  Father  "  has  delivered  from  the  power  of  darkness,  and 
1  Philip,  ii.  15. 


43 8  64'  Do  good  tmto  all  Men. 

translated  into  the  kingdom  of  his  dear  Son  "P^  The  apostle 
Paul,  in  a  certain  passage,  tells  the  Jews  :  "  The  name  of  God 
is  blasphemed  among  the  Gentiles  through  you."  ^  Oh,  with 
what  a  weight  does  this  reproach  fall  upon  our  hearts  when  we 
consider  our  daily  walk !  We  Christians  are  the  dignitaries  of 
the  Lord  Jesus,  and  the  disgrace  which  we  bring  upon  ourselves 
attaches  also  to  Him.  And  if  the  world  is  punished  when  in 
the  person  of  the  members  it  blasphemes  the  Head,  the  mem- 
bers must  be  doubly  punished  when  it  is  through  their  offences 
that  the  Head  is  blasphemed. 

Ah  me  !  would  that  we  did  not  so  often  neglect  the  near  for 
the  sake  of  more  distant  objects  !  How  great  a  task  it  would 
be — a  task  sufficient  to  occupy  a  lifetime — were  we  to  en- 
deavour to  become  in  our  several  stations  good  fathers  and 
brothers,  good  husbands  and  masters  !  It  is  with  the  lesser 
circle  we  must  always  begin.  If  families  are  not  properly 
trained,  neither  will  cities  be  well  founded ;  and  if  cities  are 
not  well  founded,  how  can  states  subsist?  Little  things  be- 
come slowly  great,  but  great  things  suddenly  little. 

The  Gospel  is  very  Jmman  in  its  doctrines,  very  far  removed 
from  all  fanaticism  and  exaggeration.  It  sets  a  high  value 
upon  the  brotherhood  of  Christians,  and  justly  so,  for  that 
connects  us  in  one  body  with  Christ.  But,  at  the  same  time, 
the  Gospel  does  not,  for  the  sake  of  this  spiritual  bond,  dis- 
own the  sacred  ties  of  blood  relationship,  and  enjoins  us  as 
earnestly  to  rule  well  the  household  as  to  rule  well  the  Church. 
The  Saviour  who  said,  "  Whosoever  shall  do  the  will  of  my 
Father  who  is  in  heaven,  the  same  is  my  brother,  and  sister, 
and  mother,"  ^  on  another  occasion,  when  nailed  to  the  cross, 
thought  of  His  mother  before  all  others,  and  committed  her  to 
the  care  of  the  disciple  whom  He  loved.*  The  same  apostle 
who  in  one  passage  tells  us,  "Ye  are  all  one  in  Christ  Jesus,"  ^ 
says  in  another,  "  If  any  provide  not  for  his  own,  and  speci- 
ally for  those  of  his  own  house,  he  hath  denied  the  faith,  and 

1  Col.  i.  13.  2  Rom.  ii.  24.  ^  Matt.  xii.  50. 

^  John,  xi.v.  27.  ^  Gal.  iii.  28. 


64.  Do  good  unto  all  Men.  439 

is  worse  than  an  infidel ; "  ^  and  while  exhorting  us,  "  as  we 
have  opportunity,  let  us  do  good  unto  all  men,  especially  unto 
them  who  are  of  the  household  of  faith, '^  2  j^g  could  wish  him- 
self "accursed  from  Christ  for  his  brethren,  his  kinsmen 
according  to  the  flesh."  ^  This  is  truly  a  human  aspect  of 
the  Gospel ;  for  what  would  have  become  of  the  world  and 
of  the  human  race  if  the  preaching  of  Christ,  while  knitting 
spiritual  bonds,  had  everywhere  dissolved  the  bonds  of  blood 
and  the  natural  order  of  things  ?  What  would  have  happened 
if  the  Son  had  undone  what  had  been  done  by  the  Father, 
and  if  the  work  of  redemption  had  aboHshed  the  work  of 
creation  ? 

To  provide  for  and  rule  each  his  own  family  is  the  first  duty 
which  holy  Scripture  requires  of  us.*  Hence  it  is  that  charity 
has  its  limits ;  and  just  as  "  God  is  a  God  of  order,"  ^  so 
there  is  a  certain  order  which  it  behoves  us  to  observe  in 
offering  the  sacrifices  of  beneficence.  It  is  human  when,  as 
often  as  we  look  upon  the  hungry  and  naked,  the  eye  is 
bedewed  with  tears  and  the  hand  is  stretched  out  to  relieve ; 
but  it  is  Christian  not  even  then  to  obey  the  mere  impulse  of 
the  tender  heart,  but  first  to  inquire  whether  a  still  more 
urgent  duty  does  not  summon  the  tender  heart  and  helping 
hand  to  some  other  object.  Counsel  ought  always  to  precede 
action.  There  are  many  who  understand  so  little  the  frame  of 
mind  which  never  proceeds  to  act  without  having  first  taken 
counsel  with  God,  and  which,  if  the  case  require,  can  for  His 
sake  be  cruel  in  spite  of  its  tears,  that  they  call  such  delibera- 
tion cold-heartedness.  Now,  no  doubt,  the  proverb  says,  and 
says  well — 

"  Do  good  to  whomsoe'er  it  be  ; 
God  will  the  act  with  favour  see  ; " 

and  no  doubt  that  is  right  to  be  done,  if  we  have  firsl;  made 
sure  that  they  who  are  within  the  house  shall  not  suffer  hunger 

1  I  Tim.  V.  8.  2  Gal.  vi.  lo.  3  Rom.  ix.  3. 

4  I  Tim.  V.  8  ;  iii.  5.  ^  \  Cor.  xiv.  33. 


440  64-  Do  good  zmto  all  Men. 

while  they  who  are  without  are  plentifully  fed.     There  is,  how- 
ever, another  proverb  which  says — 

' '  Do  what  thou  dost,  if  good,  with  speed. 
But  slowly  ponder  first  the  deed  ;  " 

and  that  requires  also  to  be  weighed  when  we  are  in  the  way 
of  risking  the  head  in  order  not  to  spoil  the  hat.  Has  not 
the  Lord  allotted  to  every  man  here  on  earth  his  own  pecu- 
liar task,  and  appointed  each  of  us  His  steward  in  the  one 
particular  place  where  we  are  stationed  ?  He  who  attempts  to 
fly  higher  than  his  wings  can  bear  him  will  come  to  shame  and 
lossj  and,  on  the  contrary,  he  who  does  what  h,e  can  does 
what  is  enough.  Our  duty,  therefore,  is  to  arm  ourselves  with 
strong  faith,  even  while  shedding  tears  over  the  misery  which 
we  cannot  alleviate,  because  there  is  so  much  other  misery  to 
be  alleviated  in  our  own  immediate  neighbourhood.  There  is 
a  passage  in  which  the  Lord  says,  "  It  is  not  meet  to  take  the 
children's  bread,  and  to  cast  it  to  dogs ; "  ^  and  may  not  this, 
in  a  certain  sense,  be  applied  to  the  present  case?  No  doubt 
there  are  many  claims  presented  to  me ;  but  when  the  Lord 
puts  one  into  the  hand  of  a  near  relation,  is  not  that  one 
written  with  my  own  blood  ?  In  the  case  of  those  who  here 
on  earth  are  without  father,  mother,  or  brother.  He  who  ex- 
pressly calls  Himself  the  "  Father  of  the  widow  and  the 
orphan,"  will  Himself  perform  the  father's  part.  At  the  same 
time,  the  bond  of  blood,  sacred  although  it  be,  is  not  the  only 
one  that  devolves  upon  us  sacred  duties.  Under  certain  cir- 
cumstances the  spiritual  bond,  or  even  peculiar  providences, 
may  draw  a  stranger  closer  to  me  than  my  own  flesh  and 
blood.  Our  Lord  did  not  commit  the  care  of  His  mother 
to  those  who  had  sucked  the  same  breast  as  Himself ;  for  it 
was  not  to  His  brothers,  but  to  His  spiritual  son,  the  disciple 
who  had  lain  on  His  bosom,  that  He  said,  "  Behold  thy 
mother  !  "  so  that  this  also  is  a  case  in  which  we  must  apply 

1  Matt,  XV,  26. 


64'  Do  good  unto  all  Men.  441 

the  precept,  "  Let  every  man  be  fully  persuaded  in  his  own 
mind,"  ^  and  that  before  the  Lord. 

I  know  not  how  it  happens,  but  never  does  a  word  of  allu- 
sion to  Christ  escape  with  greater  difficulty  from  my  lips  than 
when  I  am  in  the  company  of  my  nearest  relatives ;  and  there 
are  many  who  have  told  me  that  they  feel  the  same.  There  is, 
indeed,  one  way  of  explaining  it ;  for  if  these  relatives  do  not 
like  the  7vord  of  adtfionition  in  any  case,  we  need  not  wonder 
that  they  dislike  to  hear  it  most  of  all  from  those  who  appear 
to  them  like  an  attendant  conscience  walking  at  their  side,  in 
asmuch  as  they  then  read  in  the  face  of  the  monitor  a  per- 
petual rebuke,  even  although  his  lips  are  silent.  And  is  there 
not  also  on  our  own  part  something  to  cause  the  difficulty? 
for  if  those  whom  we  admonish  are  our  superiors,  we  fear 
their  remonstrances  ;  and  if  our  inferiors,  the  liberties  they 
may  take.  With  the  former,  our  well-intentioned  admoni- 
tions may  subject  us  to  the  suspicion  of  pride  ;  and  in  the 
case  of  the  latter,  we  must  be  content  to  have  our  children 
and  servants  applying  our  admonition  as  the  rule  by  which 
they  judge  of  our  own  walk.  Very  subtle  are  the  motives 
w^hich  then  come  into  play;  for  if  the  monitor  be  not  per- 
fectly in  earnest  in  the  practice  of  self-denial,  he  will  be 
cautious  ere  he  furnish  those  who  must  be  submissive  to  him 
in  all  other  things  with  the  means  of  passing  judgment  upon 
his  conduct,  inasmuch  as  this  would  disturb  his  carnal  ease  of 
mind,  and  compel  him  to  be  watchful.  Moreover,  it  must 
also  be  said  that,  properly  speaking,  we  do  enough  when  we 
give  to  any  one  the  opportunity  of  believing.  If  it  be  possible 
in  any  way  to  carry  doing  good  to  excess,  this  is  for  certain 
oftenest  done  by  preaching  and  exhortation.  Solomon  says, 
"  Much  preaching  -  is  a  weariness  to  the  flesh."  ^  It  is  like- 
wise a  weariness  to  the  soul,  and  that  not  only  of  the  hearer 
but  also  of  the  speaker.  There  is  a  possibility  of  preaching 
the  ears  deaf  and  the  heart  dead ;  for  which  reason  it  is  even 
a  duty  to  let  the  sound  of  the  sweet  message  be  heard  only 

^  Rom.  xiv.  5.  "  Eng.  vers,  ''study."  ^  Eccl.  xii.  12, 


442  64-  Do  good  tmto  all  Men. 

from  time  to  time,  and  to  pause  in  the  interval,  that  it  may  be 
seen  whether  the  ear  may  not  meanwhile  have  grown  more 
acute.  This  is  the  way  in  which  God  Himself  acts.  He  does 
not  incessantly  strive  with  a  man,  but  brings  him  round  by 
little  and  little.  His  mill  grinds  slowly,  but  makes  the  flour 
fine,  and  we  must  do  the  same.  It  is  impossible  to  be  per- 
petually preaching. 

There  was  a  time  when  I  myself  erred  in  this  way.  I  always 
spoke  too  much.  I  now  see  that,  as  regards  the  weightiest  of 
all  matters,  grown-up  people  are  pretty  much  on  a  par  with 
children.  It  is  unquestionably  a  misfortune  that  in  these  our 
days  teachers  endeavour  too  much  to  lecture  things  into  chil- 
dren instead  of  waiting  to  see  whether  the  children  would  not 
spontaneously  bring  them  out,  or  merely  prompting  them,  so 
that  with  the  help  of  the  first  syllable  of  the  word  the  inner 
man  might  learn  to  speak  it  of  himself.  It  is  quite  the  same 
with  grown-up  people  in  spiritual  matters.  Nothing  is  so 
hurtful  as  over-preaching  to  them.  If  a  man  be  very  rich  in 
words,  his  words  are  usually  not  very  rich  in  sense,  and  in  that 
case  he  may  pull  with  all  his  might  at  the  rope,  and  wonder 
that  the  bell  does  not  ring ;  but  the  reason  is,  that  it  has  a 
leathern  tongue.  Moreover,  if  the  persons  on  whom  the 
attempt  to  convert  is  made  are  parents  or  superiors,  there 
arises  the  suspicion  that  it  may  have  originated  in  pride.  In 
this  matter  I  have  now  learned  to  act  more  wisely;  at  the 
same  time,  I  am  not  without  apprehension  that  my  present 
prudence  and  caution  are  often  nothing  else  but  the  fear  of 
man,  and  carnal  sloth  in  disguise.  To  maintain  a  continual 
attitude  of  hostiHty  towards  those  who  are  about  us  is  painful 
to  the  flesh,  and  it  is  very  pleasant  to  be  at  peace  with  the 
world  ;  we  therefore  try  to  think  that  our  neighbour's  case  is 
not  so  bad  as  we  had  believed ;  for  how  often  does  it  happen 
•that,  as  the  poet  says — 

"  We  wink  politely  at  a  brother's  faults, 
That  he  may  as  politely  wink  at  ours  "  ! 

We  say  to  ourselves  that  we  are  not  in  a  proper  frame  of  mind 


64.  Do  good  imto  all  Men.  443 

to  interfere,  but  then  we  do  not  try  to  obtain  the  proper  frame 
by  looking  up  to  the  Lord.  In  short,  we  persuade  ourselves 
that  carnal  prudence  is  spiritual  wisdom  ;  keep  silence  when 
we  ought  to  speak,  and  prefer  disgraceful  peace  to  honourable 
war.  I  know  persons  who  anxiously  try  in  every  possible  way 
not  to  let  their  nearest  neighbours  know  how  they  stand 
affected  towards  the  Gospel ;  but  that  is  what  I  will  never  do. 
I  think  it  disgraceful  for  a  man  to  be  ashamed  of  his  friend, 
and  I  cry,  Woe  to  him  who  is  ashamed  of  his  God  !  And  of 
Thee,  dear  Master,  I  implore,  permit  me  rather  to  go  too  far 
— even  though  it  be  from  want  of  thought — in  bea7'i?ig  testi- 
mony for  Thee,  than  to  deny  Thee  by  keeping  silence. 

But  much  also  depends  upon  the  manner  in  which  we  do 
testify  and  speak.  There  was  a  time  when,  thinking  it  a  com- 
manded duty,  I  forced  myself  to  do  it.  In  that  way,  however, 
it  is  attended  with  no  blessing.  Water  is  always  sweetest 
when  welling  from  the  fountain.  Moreover,  in  cases  of  such 
forced  admonition,  we  find  that  like  the  preacher  and  his 
discourse  are  the  hearer  and  the  effect  produced  upon  him. 
Both  are  a  bungle.  Instead  of  putting  on  the  new  man,  all 
that  is  put  on  is  a  new  cloak ;  and  of  an  assumed  manner  it 
has  been  said  that  it  fades  away  as  ice  melts  in  a  summer  day. 
No  blessing  cleaves  to  it.  Out  of  sight  out  of  mind.  It  is  of 
absolute  necessity  that  the  sermons  we  preach  shall  gush  from 
the  lips  like  water  from  a  spring,  which  cannot  be  stopped ; 
and  the  more  freely  it  issues,  the  more  easily  likewise  does  it 
enter.  And  this  takes  place  whenever  love  duly  stirs  and  actu- 
ates our  heart,  so  that  we  form  a  vivid  conception  of  our 
brother's  spiritual  misery,  and  of  the  salvation  of  which  he 
might  be  made  to  partake  ;  while,  at  the  same  time,  we  have 
a  firm  confidence  that  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  will  pave  the  way 
for  us.  Only  when  it  is  of  this  cheerful  and  believing  character 
has  the  Word  its  full  urgency  and  true  ring,  so  that  it  breaks 
through  all  obstructions.  A  person  who  had  been  all  over  the 
world  once  told  me  that  he  had  scarcely  ever  fallen  into  the 
company  of  travellers  with  whom  he  was  not  able  to  converse 


444  ^4-  Do  good  unto  all  Men. 

pleasantly,  and,  as  he  hoped,  with  lasting  effect,  about  the 
journey  to  the  heavenly  country.  I  expressed  my  repugnance 
to  conversation  purposely  introduced  with  a  view  to  convert, 
and  spoke  of  the  danger  of  forestalling,  instead  of  following  in 
the  footsteps  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  of  the  snare  of  pride,  and 
more  of  the  same  sort.  He  meekly  answered  :  "  I  endeav- 
oured never  to  speak  until  I  was  certain  that  I  loved.  I  figured 
to  myself,  what  we  too  often  forget,  that  we  men  are  all 
brothers  one  of  another,  and  all  belong  to  the  same  father's 
house,  but  are  so  easily  turned  aside  from  the  path  that  leads 
to  it.     I  thought  of  the  words  of  Gellert — 

'  Perchance  in  heaven  one  day  to  me 
Some  blessed  saint  will  come  and  say, 
All  hail  !  beloved,  but  for  thee 
My  soul  to  death  had  fallen  a  prey. 
And  oh  what  rapture  in  the  thought ! 
One  soul  to  glory  to  have  brought,' 

This  never  failed  to  soften  and  warm  my  heart ;  and  when 
there  was  love  in  mi7ie,  I  soon  found  a  bridge  into  that  of  the 
stranger.  It  was  as  if  the  breath  of  God  had  drawn  out  a 
thread  from  the  one  and  fastened  it  to  the  other." 

This  narrative  I  have  never  been  able  to  forget.  It  is  quite 
true,  that  if  our  speech  be  prompted  by  love,  and  that  of  a 
humble  and  unpretentious  sort,  discourse  about  conversion 
loses  all  that  otherwise  makes  it  offensive.  In  that  case  it  has 
none  of  the  haughty  preceptorial  tone  which  so  often  gives 
pain ;  no  trace  of  intentional  character,  for  love  never  calcu- 
lates; and  no  taint  of  sour  puritanical  severity.  Such  dis- 
course, as  the  apostle  tells  us,  "  will  hQ gratefiW^  to  the  hearers. "^ 
Admonitions  are  then  no  longer  like  darts  and  spears,  but 
become  like  apples  of  gold  upon  dishes  of  silver.^  In  general, 
a  great  step  has  been  gained  with  men  of  the  world  if  we  have 
only  acquired  the  valuable  art  of  speaking  the  truth  mirthfully. 
We  then  knock  at  the  door  in  sport,  and  it  is  opened  to  us  in 

1  Eng.  vers.,  "  will  minister  grace."  2  Epj^^  jy^  29. 

''^  Prov,  XXV.  II. 


64.  Do  good  7m  to  all  Men.  445 

earnest.  Oh  how  precious  a  thing  is  wit,  applied  at  the  right 
time  and  place !  A  well-played  ball  never  fails  to  find  its 
pocket.  What  would  I  not  give  for  a  talent  like  that  of  Luther 
and  Claudius,  so  as  to  be  able  always  to  season  the  word  of 
truth  with  the  salt  of  humour,  according  to  the  apostle's  own 
expression, — "  Let  your  speech  be  always  with  grace,  seasoned 
with  salt,  that  ye  may  know  how  ye  ought  to  answer  every 
man  "  1^  What  would  I  not  give  to  be  able  always  to  proclaim 
the  Gospel  with  a  cheerful  countenance,  bringing  into  view  its 
consolatory  and  ennobling  aspects,  and  communicating  it  as  a 
sweet  leaven  of  truth,  which  in  another  place  the  apostle  calls 
it !  2  There  is  a  proverb  which  says  that  "  with  a  single  spoon- 
ful of  honey  you  will  catch  more  flies  than  with  a  whole  cask 
of  vinegar."  Now  it  is  very  true  that  sharp  vinegar  is  a  large 
ingredient  in  the  Word  of  God,  but  the  Word  likewise  contains 
a  large  mixture  of  honey.  There  is  in  it  much  that,  to  one  not 
wholly  insensible,  must  have  a  pleasant  taste  the  moment  it 
touches  his  tongue.  I  greatly  wish  that  I  had  charity  enough 
always  to  serve  up  the  honey  first. 

Another  reason,  and  a  main  one,  why  we  do  not  oftener 
boldly  open  our  mouth  to  bear  testimony  is  undoubtedly  want 
oi  faith.  We  meet  with  persons  of  whom  it  is  impossible  to 
imagine  that  there  can  be  any  place  in  their  heart  open  to  dis- 
course about  the  Cross.  But  Zinzindorf  used  to  say  that  he 
always  found  it  easy  to  converse  with  men  of  all  descriptions, 
if  he  only  looked  upon  them  as  candidates — he  meant,  candi- 
dates for  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  To  do  this,  however, 
requires  great  faith.  If,  for  instance,  we  have  to  deal  with 
those  on  whom,  perchance,  the  best  spiritual  sharpshooters 
have  for  years  been  wasting  their  powder,  and  who  were  not 
softened  and  humbled,  even  when  the  hand  of  God  was  laid 
heavily  upon  them — in  such  a  case,  I  repeat,  it  does  require 
great  faith  to  continue  holding  fast  the  persuasion  that  the 
cloudy  morning  and  rainy  noon  may  yet  be  succeeded  by  a 
bright  and  fair  evening.  And  if  we  have  not  faith  we  become 
1  Col.  iv.  6.  2  I  Cor.  v.  8. 


44^  ■    64.  Do  good  tuito  all  Men. 

faint-hearted  while  discoursing,  and  then  indeed  our  words  are 
only  blunted  arrows.  If,  however,  we  do  really  and  firmly 
believe  that  there  is  a  God  who  keeps  His  eye  and  heart  open 
towards  all  the  world,  and  that  He  "  has  no  pleasure  in  the 
death  of  the  sinner,  but  that  all  should  come  to  repentance,"^ 
we  then,  even  when  deaUng  with  enemies  of  the  truth,  acquire 
a  bold  heart,  and  from  it  our  words  fly  like  arrows,  fleet  and 
sharp.  And  although  the  arrows  may  oft  rebound,  we  must 
not  on  that  account  desist  from  our  endeavours ;  for  success 
depends  not  merely  on  the  te7nper  of  the  weapons,  but  also  upon 
the  time  of  the  Lord.  What  we  must  do  is  to  renew  the  attempt, 
recollecting  the  answer  which  the  Lord  gave  to  the  question 
of  Peter :  "  How  oft  shall  my  brother  sin  against  me  and  I 
forgive  him?"^  which  is  here  also  appHcable. 

It  is,  however,  just  with  those  with  whom  we  have  every  day 
to  do  that  the  attempt  to  convert  with  words  is  least  of  all 
necessary.  Let  us  only  be  really  trees  laden  with  the  goodly 
fruit  that  is  the  produce  of  faith,  and  the  immediate  effect  will 
unquestionably  be,  that  they  who  have  not  wholly  sold  their 
heart  to  darkness  will  conceive  a  certain  reverence  for  the 
cause  of  the  Gospel,  and  thereby  be  led  spontaneoiisly  to  inquire 
what  sort  of  a  root  it  is  which  bears  fruit  of  so  excellent  a  kind. 
The  less  urgent  we  are  with  our  testimony, — the  more  they 
perceive  that  our  own  soul  is  our  chief  concern  in  the  effort 
which  we  make, — the  less  able  will  they  be  to  withhold  their 
respect  from  it.  I  am  thoroughly  persuaded,  and  the  persua- 
sion has  been  confirmed  by  experience,  that  if  we  can  succeed 
in  planting  in  the  minds  of  those  by  whom  it  is  repudiated,  the 
conviction  that  the  Gospel  has  nothing  extraordinary  about  it, 
and  that  it  merely  furnishes  us  with  direction  and  power  to 
become  ivhat  as  men  we  ought  to  he,  we  have  thereby  gained 
the  heart  of  all  whose  ears  are  open  to  the  voice  of  God. 
That,  however,  is  a  conviction  which  can  be  produced  far  less 
efl'ectually  by  words  than  by  deeds  ;  and  accordingly,  since  the 
days  of  my  early  and  impure  zeal  went  by,  that  is  the  object 

1  2  Peter  iii.  9.  2  Matt,  xviii,  22. 


64.  Do  good  icnto  all  Men.  447 

to  which  all  my  prayers  and  all  my  wishes  are  directed ;  and 
I  also  find  that  in  many  a  place  doors  are  open  to  me  for 
bearing  a  testimony  for  the  Word. 

No  doubt  the  case  is  different  with  him  who  is  the  father  of 
a  family  and  the  master  of  a  household.  He  has  received  a 
distinct  charge  from  God  to  build  up  his  children  and  depend- 
ants spiritually,  and  to  aim  in  his  endeavours  that  they  may 
become  a  church  in  his  house;  and  as  of  that  church  he  is  the 
priest,  it  is  incumbent  upon  him  not  only  to  testify,  preach, 
and  admonish  wherever  he  observes  anything  that  contravenes 
the  divine  will,  but  also  to  pray  for  and  with  the  members. 
From  time  immemorial  it  has  been  regarded  as  the  duty  of  a 
Christian  father  to  assemble  his  family,  morning  and  evening, 
in  the  presence  of  the  Lord ;  and  certainly  this  is  a  custom 
which  the  Lord  has  richly  blessed.  How  excellent  a  spiritual 
discipline  it  is  for  the  father  himself !  How  he  is  humbled  at 
night  in  the  circle  of  his  children  and  domestics,  if  in  his  inter- 
course with  them  during  the  day  it  has  appeared  that  he  had 
forgotten  God  and  His  commandments  !  How  wholesome  a 
restraint  the  fear  of  having  to  blush  for  transgressions  before 
those  against  whom  they  were  committed !  Moreover,  how 
beneficial  to  him  the  opportunity  of  testifying  in  his  prayers, 
and  while  in  the  divine  presence,  that  the  fear  of  the  Lord  is 
the  mainspring  of  his  daily  life,  and  that  he  is  earnest  and 
solicitous  for  the  welfare  of  those  who  are  dear  to  him, 
especially  as  all  this  is  done  in  the  mood  and  attitude  in 
which  his  words  are  most  likely  to  awaken  confidence  in  their 
hearts  !  How  great  a  comfort,  too,  to  the  members  of  the 
family,  to  have  this  way  of  looking  into  the  heart  of  him  into 
whose  hand  their  lot  has  been  mainly  committed  !  and,  in  fine, 
how  needful  to  them  all  such  a  means  of  maintaining  the  con- 
sciousness of  what^^r  the  Loi'd's  sake  they  owe  to  each  other  ! 
In  such  circumstances  the  due  discharge  of  the  allotted  task  of 
the  day  becomes  doubly  easy.  Verily,  no  duty  is  more  urgent 
than  to  introduce  afresh  into  every  house  the  good  old  custom 
which  the  levity  of  the  age  has  allowed  to  fall  into  disuse. 


44^  ^4-  Do  good  tinto  all  Meit. 

O  Lord,  with  the  whole  earnestness  of  my  heart  I  implore  of 
Thee  to  help  me  first  of  all  to  be  a  true  Christian  in  my  own 
house  and  family.  Teach  me  to  testify;  teach  me  to  keep 
silence^  as  Thou  wouldst  have  me  do,  so  that  on  my  account 
Thy  name  may  never  be  profaned  among  those  who  do  not 
know  Thee. 

Oh  give  my  mind  a  childlike  bent 
To  watch  from  hour  to  hour  intent 

The  signals  of  Thine  eye  ; 
That  all  I  think  and  all  I  do, 
My  speech,  and  even  my  silence  too, 

May  with  Thy  will  comply. 

Yes,  grant  that  my  whole  walk  and  ways 
May  be  a  sermon,  and  Thy  praise 

Without  a  pause  bespeak; 
And  if  great  things  Thou  bidst  me  do, 
Oh  hide  their  lustre  from  my  view, 

And  keep  me  calm  and  meek. 


Ill 


C^cug^  Boon  l^c  bright  l^ues  inbz  mxH  bb, 
J©g6  0n  ^ofatt  fi^lbs  tan  sl^ea^es  bcstrj). 


2  F 


6$.  It  doth  not  yet  appear  what  we  shall  be.       45 1 


65. 

\i  b0tj[  n0t  get  appear  tojat  Ine  sfjall  be. 

Would  that  my  heart  were  pure, 

I  then  the  Lord  would  see; 
And  if  I  saw  Him,  sure. 

My  heart  then  pure  would  be. 

What  is  the  mean  that  knits 

In  harmony  these  twain; 
Points  from  the  earth  to  heaven. 
From  heaven  to  earth  again  ? 

It  is  the  secret  smart 

To  HOME-SICK  Spirits  known. 
That  tipwards  lifts  the  heart 

And  brings  the  Saviour  down. 

I  John,  iii.  2,  3.  "  Beloved,  now  are  we  the  sons  of  God, 
and  it  doth  not  yet  appear  what  we  shall  be  :  but  we  know 
that,  when  He  shall  appear,  we  shall  be  like  Him ;  for  we 
shall  see  Him  as  He  is.  And  every  man  that  hath  this 
hope  in  him  purifieth  himself,  even  as  He  is  pure." 

Rom.  viii.  22-24.  "For  we  know  that  the  whole  creation 
groaneth  and  travaileth  in  pain  together  until  now.  And 
not  only  they,  but  ourselves  also,  which  have  the  first- 
fruits  of  the  Spirit,  even  we  ourselves  groan  within  our- 
selves, waiting  for  the  adoption,  to  wit,  the  redemption  of 
our  body.  For  we  are  saved  by  hope  :  but  hope  that  is 
seen  is  not  hope ;  for  what  a  man  seeth,  why  doth  he  yet 
hope  for?" 

I  Cor.  XV.  25-28.  "For  He  must  reign  till  He  hath  put 
all  enemies  under  His  feet.     The  last  enemy  that  shall  be 


452       6$.  It  doth  not  yet  appear  what  we  shall  be. 

destroyed  is  death.  For  He  hath  put  all  things  under  His 
feet.  But  when  He  saith,  All  things  are  put  under  Him, 
it  is  manifest  that  He  is  excepted  which  did  put  all  things 
under  Him.  And  when  all  things  shall  be  subdued  unto 
Him,  then  shall  the  Son  also  Himself  be  subject  unto 
Him  that  put  all  things  under  Him,  that  God  may  be  all 
in  all." 
I  Cor.  xiii.  12.  "Now  we  see  through  a  glass,  darkly;  but 
then  face  to  face  :  now  I  know  in  part ;  but  then  shall  I 
know  even  as  also  I  am  known." 

BLESSED  are  the  home -sick,  for  they  shall  reach  their 
Father's  house  I  was  a  saying  frequently  upon  the  lips 
of  a  man  of  God  who  had  had  rich  experience  of  the  pilgrim- 
life  here  below — its  stony  paths  and  stormy  days  and  sleepless 
nights.  But  may  not  the  man  who  treads  the  very  pleasantest 
of  the  paths  that  lead  through  this  terrestrial  vale  likewise  take 
up  the  saying?  Yes  :  so  long  as  Christians  need  to  pray  that 
the  kingdo7n  of  God  may  come — come  into  their  own  hearts  and 
come  into  the  world  at  large — they  will  never  cease  to  long  for 
the  heavenly  home.  It  is  true  that  the  coming  of  the  kingdom 
of  God  is  not  an  event  altogether  future.  Even  now  it  is  come, 
although  doubtless  only  in  its  rudiments,  according  to  the 
language  of  the  apostle,  when  he  says,  "  We  have  received  the 
first  fruits  of  the  Spirit^  There  is  blessedness  in  the  mere 
drops — how  shall  it  be  when  the  whole  ocean  flows  in  upon 
us !  If  the  first-fruits  already  make  us  rich,  shall  we  not  be 
rich  indeed  when  we  reap  the  full  harvest  ?  The  more  he  thus 
feels,  the  more  natural  in  the  life  of  the  Christian  will  be  a 
longing  after  eternity.  For  if,  as  the  apostle  says,  "  we  are  saved 
by  hope"  he  who  is  destitute  of  such  longing  cannot  possibly 
be  a  Christian  at  all.  None  perhaps  ever  received  the  first- 
fruits  in  more  abundant  measure  than  the  apostle  Paul,  and 
yet  he  tells  us  how  intensely  he  longed.  He  says  :  "  We  our- 
selves, also,  which  have  received  the  first-fruits  of  the  Spirit, 
even  we  ourselves  groan  within  ourselves,  waiting  for  the  adop- 


65.  It  doth  not  yet  appear  what  we  shall  he.       453 

tion,  to  wit,  the  redemption  of  our  body."  And  think  not 
that  this  longing  makes  slothful  hands  or  feeble  knees  ;  for 
after  saying,  "We  are  willing  rather  to  be  absent  from  the 
body,  and  to  be  present  with  the  Lord,"  he  immediately  sub- 
joins, "  Wherefore  we  labour^  that,  whether  present  or  absent,  we 
may  be  accepted  by  Himr  ^  And  while  he  affirms  in  one  pas- 
sage, "  I  die  daily,"  he  was  able  also  to  aver  in  another,  "I 
have  laboured  more  abundantly  than  they  all."  No ;  the 
longing  for  home  does  not  make  the  hands  slothful  or  the 
knees  weary.  Rather  does  every  man  who  has  a  hope  so 
bright  and  noble  "  purify  himself,  even  as  He  is  pure."  And 
what  else  should  the  servant  do  who  is  advancing  to  meet  a 
master  like  ours,  but  prepare  to  receive  Him  with  due  honour, 
according  to  His  own  words :  "  Let  your  loins  be  girded 
about,  and  your  lamps  burning;  and  ye  yourselves  like  unto 
men  that  wait  for  their  lord,  when  he  will  return  from  the 
wedding  \  that  when  he  cometh  and  knocketh,  they  may  open 
unto  him  immediately."  ^ 

In  this  land  of  pilgrimage  the  path  is  often  so  rough  as  of 
itself  to  breed  a  yearning  for  the  eternal  home.  And  even 
were  it  otherwise,  can  we,  so  long  as  we  are  in  the  far  country, 
ever  become  wholly  free, from  sin'i  It  is  true  that  he  who 
walks  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord  advances  from  victory  to  victory; 
but  is  the  victory  over  it  ever  complete  7  That  certainly  cannot 
be.  St  John,  when  probably  in  his  eightieth  or  ninetieth  year, 
was  constrained  to  confess,  "  If  we  say  that  we  have  no  sin, 
we  deceive  ourselves."^  St  James  must  needs  aver,  "In many 
things  we  offend  all."*  And  can  any  one  still  sojourning  here, 
and  still  bearing  about  with  him  the  earthly  house  of  this 
tabernacle  of  clay,  venture  to  anticipate  that  a  day  will  ever 
come  when  he  shall  no  longer  need  to  pray,  ^^  Forgive  us  our 
debts^^ .?  Alas  !  were  the  kingdom  of  God  to  enter  my  heart  in 
the  fulness  of  its  power,  could  I  even  then  be  blessed  so  long 
as  I  dwell  in  a  world  where  Satan  wields  the  sceptre  over  the 

1  2  Cor.  V.  8,  9.  2  Luke,  xii.  35,  36. 

3  I  John,  i.  8.  *  James,  iii,  2. 


454       65-  /^^  doth  not  yet  appear  what  we  shall  be. 

children  of  unbelief,  and  where,  though  that  which  is  good  pos- 
sesses the  right,  the  power  belongs  to  that  which  is  evil  ?  No : 
I  must  account  it  carnal  fulness  when  men  venture  to  deny 
that  a  yearning  for  the  land  of  light  and  truth  is  as  natural  to 
the  Christian  as  yearning  for  the  mountains  is  to  one  who  has 
long  lived  upon  the  level  plain  and  yet  has  a  boding  sense  of 
the  salubrity  of  mountain  air. 

Never  without  the  deepest  emotion -do  I  read  these  words  of 
John  :  "  Beloved,  now  are  we  the  sons  of  God,  and  it  doth  not 
yet  appear  what  we  shall  be."  It  is  as  if  he  wished  to  say, 
What  man  is  there  who  would  not  even  now  feel  himself  blessed 
by  the  belief  that  God  had  already  in  His  mercy  adopted  him 
as  a  child?  And  yet  something  greater  than  this  has  been 
promised ;  for  "  it  hath  not  yet  appeared  what  we  shall  be!' 
"When  He  shall  appear,"  however,  "we  shall  be  like  Him." 
This  sets  the  human  spirit  at  rest,  for  above  or  beyond  it  there 
can  be  nothing  greater  or  better.  Even  at  the  time  when  He 
still  concealed  His  heavenly  glory  beneath  the  woollen  garb, 
even  then  it  dawned  upon  our  minds  that  in  Him,  or  nowhere 
else,  the  noblest  type  of  humanity  was  to  be  beheld.  Now, 
however,  the  woollen  garb  of  a  servant  has  been  laid  aside — 
He  has  put  on  the  kingly  crown ;  and  what  He,  the  elder 
brother,  is,  that  shall  we  also  be.  Beyond  a  doubt,  therefore, 
there  will  arrive  a  time,  long  as  it  may  still  delay,  when  all 
within  and  about  me  shall  be  full  of  light.  I  adore,  and  am 
silent.  How  this  shall  be  brought  about  I  try  in  vain  to  con- 
ceive. I  am  told,  however,  that  I  shall  see  Him  as  He  is. 
If,  then,  when  translated  into  the  other  world,  I  take  with  me 
a  love  to  Him  exceeding  all  other  loves,  and  if  He,  on  His 
part,  shall  unveil  Himself  to  me  in  the  fubiess  of  His  beauty, 
will  He  not  penetrate  through  me  like  the  unrefracted  sun- 
beam, and  fill  me  with  the  light  of  which  He  Himself  is  full  ? 
"  We  shall  see  Him  as  He  is,"  writes  the  beloved  apostle  ;  and 
as  he  wrote  the  words,  how  his  heart  must  have  thrilled  with 
joy  !  Even  at  the  time  when  his  Saviour  was  still  wearing  the 
servile  garb,  John  always  felt  it  bliss  to  be  permitted  to  lean 


65.  It  doth  not  yet  appear  what  we  shall  be.       455 

on  His  bosom,  and  experienced  a  sanctifying  influence  when 
he  looked  into  His  eye.  Afterwards,  when  the  Saviour  had 
withdrawn  from  human  sight,  he  found  blessedness  and  sancti- 
fication  in  spiritual  fellowship  with  Him,  as  he  says  :  "  That 
which  we  have  seen  and  heard  declare  we  unto  you,  that  ye 
also  may  have  fellowship  with  us  :  and  tnily  our  fellowship  is 
with  the  Father,  and  with  His  Son  Jesus  Christ.  And  these 
things  write  we  unto  you,  that  your  joy  may  be  full. '''^  Now, 
however,  John  has  the  hope  of  seeing  his  Master  again,  and  of 
seeing  Him  as  He  is — that  is  to  say,  undisguised  and  undis- 
figured — and  that  sight  he  knows  will  make  him  perfectly  holy. 
Were  one  to  understand  the  words  in  a  carnal  sense,  well 
might  he  permit  such  a  hope  to  slacken  his  efforts.  The 
apostle  is  rather  bowed  down  by  it  in  spirit,  for  he  is  sensible 
that  it  is  all  mercy.  It  only  makes  him  more  humble,  and 
more  earnest  in  seeking  to  please  Him.  ''  Every  man,"  he 
says,  "that  hath  this  hope  in  him  purifieth  himself,  even  as 
He  is  pure." 

We  are  now  the  children  of  God  in  faith  ;  we  believe  that 
of  His  mercy  He  has  accepted  us,  and  therefore  we  feel  the 
beginnings  of  a  filial  affection  to  Him.  In  truth,  however,  we 
shall  only  then  be  His  children  when  we  resemble  the  First- 
begotten,  who  is  His  veritable  Son.  And  this,  methinks,  is 
the  reason  why  Paul  likewise  says  that  we  groan  and  wait  for 
the  adoption,  as  if  it  were  not  already  a  present  good,  and 
represents  it  as  consequent  upon  the  redemption  of  the  body  ; 
looking  forward  to  the  time  when,  the  first-fruits  being  reaped, 
the  full  harvest  of  the  Spirit  shall  have  come,  and  this  poor  and 
mortal  frame,  now  so  often  reluctant  when  the  soul  would  soar 
aloft,  shall  likewise  participate  in  the  life  of  glory.  For  then 
there  shall  be  nothing  about  us  to  prevent  the  light  eternal 
from  freely  permeating  our  material  part,  and  expelling  from  it 
all  darkness  and  infirmity.  "Our  conversation,"  saith  the 
apostle,  "is  in  heaven;  from  whence  also  we  look  for  the 
Saviour,  who  shall  change  our  vile  body,  that  it  may  be  fash- 
1  I  John,  i.  3,  4. 


45  6       65.   It  doth  not  yet  appear  what  we  shall  be. 

ioned  like  unto  His  glorious  body,  according  to  the  working 
whereby  He  is  able  even  to  subdue  all  things  unto  Himself."^ 
We  need  not  wonder  that  to  many  these  great  promises  ap- 
pear but  as  beautiful  dreams.  He  that  looks  upon  his  own  weak- 
ness, or  considers  what  has  been  going  on  upon  the  earth  since 
the  beginning  of  the  world,  or  who  reflects  how  slowly  and 
imperceptibly  Christ  is  formed  in  the  heart,  may  well  doubt 
whether  it  will  ever  be  that  His  enemies  shall  all  lie  prostrate 
at  His  feet.  The  apostle  Peter  tells  us  that  in  his  days  there 
were  scoffers  who  said,  "  Where  is  the  promise  of  His  coming? 
for  since  the  fathers  fell  asleep,  all  things  continue  as  they 
were  from  the  beginning  of  the  creation."  ^  But,  God  be 
thanked !  we  build  this  hope  of  ours  neither  on  what  our  eyes 
see,  nor  yet  on  the  thoughts  of  our  own  erring  minds  ;  for  we 
know  that 

We  perish,  if  in  our  own  might 

To  wage  the  war  we  try  ; 
But  One  ordained  for  us  to  fight 

Can  all  our  foes  defy. 
And  if  you  ask  me,  Who  is  this  ? 

I  answer,  Christ  our  champion  is. 

He  fights  and,  says  the  apostle,  reigns  until  He  has  put  all 
enemies  under  His  feet;  and  by  mentioning  death  as  the  last  of 
these,  he  comprises  under  them  all  the  things  that  still  hinder 
the  image  of  God  in  human  nature  from  acquiring  the  mastery 
over  what  is  hostile  and  obstructive.  And  when  the  battle  has 
been  fought  out,  and  all  things  have  been  subdued  unto  Him, 
then  will  He  demit  His  regal  office,  in  order  that  He  alone, 
in  whose  behalf  His  wars  were  waged,  may  become  all  in  all. 
Who  can  measure  what  these  words  express  ?  it  is  an  ocean 
without  a  shore :  "  He  will  be  all  in  me,  and  He  will  be  all  in 
alC 

Lord,  in  the  ocean  of  Thy  love 

Be  all  my  rebel  passions  drowned ; 
And  not  a  wish  Thy  frown  to  move 

In  my  regenerate  heart  be  found. 


Philip,  iii.  20,  21.  2  Peter,  iii.  4. 


65.  It  doth  not  yet  appear  what  we  shall  be.       457 

Let  every  pulse  throb  thanks  to  Thee, 
And  every  breath  an  anthem  be ! 

Oh  let  my  eye,  wherever  bent, 

In  all  things  see  Thy  glory  shine ; 
My  ear  in  every  day's  event 

Discern  a  harmony  divine ; 
And  may  I  feel  that,  far  and  near, 
Where'er  I  am.  Thou,  God,  art  here. 

Such  was  our  song  in  the  days  of  our  infirmity  here  below; 
but  when  God  shall  be  all  in  all,  will  not  what  we  once  sang 
have  become  reality?  There  have  been  reflective  Christians 
who,  in  lofty  flights  of  the  spirit,  have  told  us  what  they  thought 
of  that  plenitude  of  graces  which  is  to  be  poured  out  upon  us 
at  the  time  of  the  full  harvest.  But  this  I  venture  not  to  do, 
because  holy  Scripture  itself  speaks  upon  the  subject  only  in 
emblems,  and  thereby  gives  us  to  understand  that  the  things 
are  of  a  kind  of  which  the  mind  may  perchance  have  a  boding 
sense,  but  which  it  cannot  comprehend,  and  on  which  it 
scarcely  dares  to  think.  When  it  calls  Him  who  is  "  the  bright- 
ness of  the  Father's  glory,"  our  "elder  brother" — when  it 
promises  that  we  shall  be  like  Him, — do  I  rightly  understand 
what  this  signifies?  When  it  promises  that  there  will  no  longer 
be  any  difference  between  my  knowledge  and  His  knowledge, 
or  between  what  I  am,  and  what  He  is,  able  to  do,  does  it 
mean  that  He  will  reserve  nothing  for  Himself?  This  is  cer- 
tainly the  prospect  which  the  Scriptures  always  present  afresh, 
and  from  some  new  point  of  view,  to  the  child  of  God,  and 
from  the  magnitude  of  which  he  recoils.  When,  as  their  great 
High-priest,  He  prays  for  His  disciples,  and  says,  "  Father,  I 
will  that  they  also,  whom  Thou  hast  given  me,  be  with  me 
where  I  am  \  that  they  may  behold  my  glory,  which  Thou  hast 
given  me."  And  "  the  glory  which  Thou  hast  given  me,  I  have 
given  them;  that  they  may  be  one,  even  as  we  are  one."^ — 
When  He  says,  "  To  him  that  overcometh  will  I  grant  to  sit 
with  7ne  on  my  throne,  even  as  I  also  overcame,  and  am  set 
down  with  my  Father  in  His  throne."^ — When  the  apostle 
1  John,  xvii.  22,  24.  2  Rgv.  iii.  21. 


458       ^^'  It  doth  not  yet  appear  what  we  shall  be. 

avers,  "  Then  shall  I  know  {God)  even  as  also  I  am  known  {of 
Him)." — I  scarcely  dare  to  utter  the  words,  and  yet  I  cannot 
be  mistaken  as  to  their  meaning.  Do  they  not  tell  us  that 
we  shall  be  made  to  resemble  the  Son  of  God  in  all  respects  ? 
Is  it  not  a  fellowship  in  everything  which  He,  the  First-born, 
promises  to  those  whom  He  purposes  to  exalt  to  sonship  with 
Himself?  And  yet  if  He  did  not  shrink  from  the  deep  abase- 
ment of  assuming  human  flesh  and  blood,  and  entering  into 
fellowship  with  us  in  our  abject  state,  surely  we  need  not 
wonder  that  it  is  now  His  good  pleasure  to  make  us  partakers 
of  all  His  greatness.  I  might  even  say  we  can  look  for  nothing 
else.  Oh  what  a  noble  text  is  that  which  tells  us  that  "  both 
He  that  sanctifieth  and  they  who  are  sanctified  are  all  of  one ; 
for  which  cause  He  is  not  ashamed  to  call  them  brethren,  say- 
ing, I  will  declare  Thy  name  unto  my  brethren,  in  the  midst  of 
the  church  will  I  sing  praise  unto  Thee"!^  He  has  dignified 
poor  human  nature,  and  given  to  it  what  He  received  from 
the  Father,  and  has  thereby  made  us  sons  of  equal  rank  with 
Himself — yet  all  through  grace,  and  grace  alone.  For  that 
reason  it  is  that  He  will  remain  the  Head  through  all  eternity. 
No  doubt  we  shall  be  like  Him,  yet  on  that  very  account  we 
shall  owe  Him,  and  Him  alone,  a  debt  of  gratitude.  "Ye 
know  the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that,  though  He  was 
rich,  yet  for  our  sakes  He  became  poor,  that  we  through  His 
poverty  might  be  rich."^  For  this,  therefore,  we  shall  through 
all  eternity  give  thanks  unto  Him,  the  Prince  of  life,  who  has 
gone  before  us  on  the  path  of  suffering,  in  order  to  bring  many 
sons  unto  glory.^  When  permitted  to  sit  beside  Him  on  the 
throne  on  which  He  has  been  set  by  the  Father,  we  shall  never 
cease  to  sing  the  hymn,  "  Worthy  is  the  La7nb  that  was  slain 
to  receive  power,  and  riches,  and  wisdom,  and  strength,  and 
honour,  and  glory,  and  blessing."* 

In  every  body  where  there  is  a  head  there  must  also  be 
diversity  among  the  members.     Although,  therefore,  it  might 

1  Heb.  ii.  ii,  12.  2  2  Cor.  viii.  9. 

3  Heb.  ii.  10.  ^  Rev.  v.  12. 


65.  It  doth  not  yet  appear  zvhat  we  shall  be.       459 

seem  at  first  as  if,  when  God  is  all  in  all,  no  one  of  these  could 
differ  from  another,  in  reality  this  is  not  the  case ;  for  just  as 
the  Prince  of  life  travelled  to  glory  by  a  path  of  His  own,  so 
likewise  must  the  sons  whom  He  purposes  to  conduct  to  glory 
with  Him.  And  it  is  a  path  which  none  of  them  can  forget. 
They  have  been  trained  in  different  schools,  and  have  entered 
the  sanctuary  by  different  doors.  There  is,  in  fact,  an  eternal 
centre  of  spirits  emitting  innumerable  rays,  and  on  some  par- 
ticular one  of  these  does  every  spirit  reach  that  centre.  For 
this  reason,  when  congregated  there,  they  shall  all  take  part 
in  the  same  halleluiah,  and  yet  each  with  a  voice  and  tone 
peculiar  to  himself. 

Almighty  God,  in  whose  hand  it  is  to  acquit  or  to  condemn, 
I  cannot  but  acknowledge  Thy  full  and  perfect  right  to  con- 
demn me;  and  yet  Thou  hast  awarded  me  an  inheritance 
so  great  that  I  scarcely  dare  for  very  shame  to  lift  my  eyes 
towards  it.  I  should  praise  and  thank  Thee  through  eternity, 
even  though  the  place  allotted  me  were  on  the  remotest  con- 
fine of  Thy  holy  land,  or  only  at  the  threshold  of  Thy  heavenly 
temple.  But  Thy  Word  distinctly  tells  me  that  Thou  wilt 
draw  me  to  Thy  heart,  that  Thou  wilt  seat  me  on  Thy  throne, 
and  make  me  a  copy  of  the  brightness  of  Thy  glory.  Oh  give 
me  faith  sufficiently  great  and  powerful  to  grasp  so  inconceiv- 
able a  promise ;  and  in  seasons  of  weakness  vouchsafe  to  me 
a  glimpse,  though  it  be  but  into  the  outward  porch,  of  that 
glorious  place  to  which  I  shall  one  day  be  exalted.  At  such 
a  thought  how  does  this  little  earth,  with  all  its  mighty  woe, 
recede  far,  far  behind  me  ! 

Here  dwell  for  ever  joy  and  light. 
The  soul  is  clad  in  raiment  bright 

Of  spotless  purity. 
Like  kings  we  sit  on  thrones,  and  wear 
Immortal  chaplets,  fresh  and  fair, 

While  changeless  time  rolls  by. 
Oh  happy  they  that  day  who  see, 
When  all  and  in  all  God  shall  bef 


460       66.  I  saw  a  new  Heaven  and  a  7iew  Earth. 

66. 

31  sairr  a  nein  i^caijcn  anti  a  ncin  ^u% 

Earth  was  for  thee  too  strait,  impatient  throbbed  thy  heart ; 
Now  thou  hast  room  enough,  for  now  with  God  thou  art. 
Yes,  room  which  to  explore,  if  thou  shouldst  entetprise. 
Time  and  eternity  itself  will  not  suffice. 

Rev.  xxi.  i.  "And  I  saw  a  new  heaven  and  a  new  earth  : 
for  the  first  heaven  and  the  first  earth  were  passed  away ; 
and  there  was  no  more  sea." 

ANOTHER  of  the  apostles  writes :  "  The  fashion  of  this 
world  passeth  away."  ^  The  old  earth  will  pass  away 
in  order  to  give  place  to  the  new,  which  shall  continue  for 
ever.  How  much  of  the  old  will  remain  we  do  not  know,  and 
can  only  conjecture.  It  is,  however,  certain  that  beneath  its 
outward  rind  a  resurrection  germ  is  contained,  just  as  there  is 
in  our  earthly  body.  The  fleshly  mass,  which  by  the  afflux 
and  deflux  of  its  particles  is  undergoing  continual  change,  does 
not  constitute  the  body's  real  substance.  There  is  within 
a  spiritual  type  and  germ,  which  finds  it  hard  to  spring  and 
shoot  forth  as  it  ought  through  the  coarse  outward  crust  formed 
of  the  dust  of  the  ground.^  Even  the  erect  stature  of  the 
human  body  plainly  shows  that  its  inhabitant  is  of  a  different 
rank  from  those  who  inhabit  other  bodies.  But  how  strait 
and  coarse  is  this  crust  in  which  he  is  confined  !  We  see  re- 
vealed in  the  wondrous  fabric  called  the  eye  the  tremblings  of 
the  slenderest  string  which  is  touched  in  the  recesses  of  the 
breast.  How  would  it  be  were  every  member  of  the  body 
such  a  mirror  of  the  soul  as  the  eye  at  present  is  ? 

And  now  we  learn  that  there  is  to  be  a  resurrection.  Yes  ; 
and  this  resurrection  the  spiritual  germ  in  my  body,  which 
already  labours  to  shoot  forth  into  view,  will  undergo.     It  will 

1  I  Cor.  vii.  31.  2  Qoxi.  ii.  7. 


66.  I  saw  a  new  Heaven  and  a  new  EartJi.        461 

rise  again  in  the  elements  of  a  new  world.  And  does  not 
every  creature  in  this  fleeting  world  bear  within  it  a  similar 
resurrection  germ  ?  Certain  it  is  that  the  place  which  is  des- 
tined for  our  abode  will  in  some  measure  be  congenial  in 
nature  and  properties  with  the  beings  who  are  to  inhabit  it. 
Now  it  is  written  of  man  when  risen  from  ihe  grave,  that  ''that 
body  is  not  first  which  is  spiritual,  but  that  which  is  statural ; 
and  after  it  the  spi7'ittiaiy  ^  And  consequently,  as  our  body 
is  to  be  spiritualised,  the  place  of  our  abode  will  also  require 
to  possess  spiritual  properties.  At  present  body  and  spirit 
are  subject  to  different  laws  ;  for  whereas  the  spirit  aspires  to 
heaven,  the  body  tends  to  earth,  even  in  the  case  of  those 
whom  the  Spirit,  who  quickens  us  in  Christ  Jesus,  has  already 
made  free  from  the  law  of  sin  and  of  death.  On  which  account 
it  is  said,  "  If  Christ  be  in  you,  the  body  is  dead  because  of  (in- 
dwelling) sin ;  but  the  Spirit  is  (already)  life  because  of  right- 
eousness." ^  But  all  this  is  to  be  changed.  The  body  itself  is 
to  take  on  a  spiritual  nature  and  quality,  and  then  the  spirit's  ray 
will  shoot  through  it  unbroken  and  unimpeded,  and  it  will  with 
ease  and  freedom  obey  the  spirit's  laws.  The  body  of  nature 
shall  become  man's,  and  over  it  he  shall  have  dominion  as  if  it 
were  a  second  body.    But  "  now  we  see  through  a  glass,  darkly." 

Verses  2  and  3.  "  And  I  John  saw  the  holy  city,  new  Jeru- 
salem, coming  down  from  God  out  of  heaven,  prepared 
as  a  bride  adorned  for  her  husband.  And  I  heard  a  great 
voice  out  of  heaven  saying.  Behold,  the  tabernacle  of  God 
is  with  men,  and  He  will  dwell  with  them,  and  they  shall 
be  His  people,  and  God  Himself  shall  be  with  them,  and 
be  their  God." 

A  city  of  God  shall  come  down  from  heaven  to  earth.  All 
they  who  from,  the  beginning  have  been  congregated  into 
a  Church,  and  whom,  with  the  Lord  Jesus,  "  the  heavens  have 

1  I  Cor.  XV.  46. 

2  That  is,  by  reason  of  the  righteousness  that  already  reigns  in  it.  Rom. 
viii.  10. 


462       66.  I  saw  a  nezv  Heaven  and  a  new  Earth. 

received  until  the  times  of  the  restitution  of  all  things,  which 
God  has  spoken  of  by  the  mouth  of  His  holy  prophets  since 
the  world  began  "  ^ — they  all  shall  come  down  to  the  new 
earth,  and  shall  there  constitute  the  people  of  God.  The 
foundation  of  a  Church  of  saints  was  laid  by  the  Lord  as  early 
as  the  time  when  He  said  to  Israel,  "  Ye  shall  be  unto  me 
a  kingdom  of  priests,  and  an  holy  nation."  ^  In  that  Church 
of  the  redeemed  He  ordained  for  Himself  a  spiritual  priest- 
hood, saying  to  them,  "  Ye  are  a  chosen  generation,  a  royal 
priesthood,  an  holy  nation,  a  peculiar  people ;  that  ye  should 
show  forth  the  praises  of  Him  who  hath  called  you  out  of 
darkness  into  His  marvellous  light."  ^  What  was  the  Church 
of  God's  children,  in  its  feeble  rudiments  here  upon  earth,  and 
when  still  vexed  with  mighty  conflicts  within  and  without,  will 
hereafter  be  the  Church  made  perfect,  and  free  from  all  con- 
flict for  ever.  It  will  be  a  bride  adorned  for  her  husband. 
While  here  upon  earth  the  body  "  grew  up  into  Him,  which 
is  the  head;"*  there  we  shall  all  be  "  a  perfect  man,  in  the 
measure  of  the  full  stature  of  Christ."  ^  No  doubt  we  are 
already  "  espoused  "  ^  to  Him,  in  order  that,  as  beseems  the 
betrothed  wife,  we  may  live  to  please  Him  and  Him  alone, 
though,  alas !  we  are  too  much  given  to  the  courtship  of  other 
men.  Then  we  shall  be  a  bride  adorned  by  God  Himself,  and 
shall  know  no  other  love  but  the  love  of  Christ  our  Head. 

Who  can  worthily  figure  to  himself  the  blessedness  of  the 
day  when,  freed  from  every  error  and  stain,  they  who  in  the 
preparatory  school  of  earth  were  trained  for  the  perfect  king- 
dom of  Christ  shall  meet  together,  and  when  the  life  which, 
while  they  lived  here  below,  was  hidden  with  Christ  in  God,"^ 
shall  with  Christ  be  manifested  in  glory  ?  "  Embodiment," 
according  to  the  saying  of  a  profound  and  pious  man,  "is 
the  end  of  the  ways  of  God."  He  means  that  that  which  is 
internal  reaches  its  perfection  only  when  it  becomes  also  ex- 
ternal, and  reveals  and  manifests  itself  outwardly.     Thus  it  is 

1  Acts,  iii.  21.  2  Exod.  xix.  6,  3  i  Pet.  ii.  9.  4  Eph.  iv.  15. 

5  Eph.  iv.  13.  *'  2  Cor.  xi.  2.  ^  Col.  iii.  3. 


66.  I  saw  a  nezv  Heaven  and  a  neiv  Earth.       46^ 

that  the  spiritual  light,  when  it  fills  the  whole  capacity  of  his 
heart,  breaks  out  even  in  a  man's  bodily  firame.  His  eye 
beams  forth  the  peace  that  is  within  him,  and  his  face  begins 
to  shine  like  the  face  of  an  angel,  as  we  are  told  was  the  case 
with  Stephen.  1  For  the  present,  indeed,  the  inner  life  of  holy 
men  is  hidden  in  the  inmost  depths  of  their  soul,  and  painfully 
looks  through  the  gross  material  of  the  body,  which  so  reluct- 
antly obeys  the  law  of  the  spirit.  A  day,  however,  is  coming 
when  that  inner  life  shall  be  revealed,  and  through  a  light  and 
heavenly  vesture  shine  forth  and  reign ;  so  that  in  this  sense, 
also,  embodiment  shall  be  the  end  of  the  ways  of  God.  Even 
now  we  have  felt  so  happy  when  tasting  the  sweets  of  brotherly 
love,  although  brotherly  love  is  so  defective  here  below,  and 
although  the  taste  of  it  is  often  embittered  by  sin  and  inter- 
rupted by  the  world,  which  always  interferes  when  the  children 
of  God  seek  to  unite  in  a  bond  of  brotherhood  with  Christ. 
What  will  be  the  case  when  all  that  is  inward  shall  have  be- 
come outward,  and  when  sin  shall  no  more  be  able  to  mar, 
nor  the  enmity  of  the  world  to  interrupt,  the  fruition  of  affec- 
tion ?  How  great  and  noble  and  heart-refreshing  the  gifts 
which  have  been  conferred  upon  the  Church,  even  in  this  the 
period  of  her  servitude  and  sojourn  on  earth  !  Pass  in  review 
all  the  ornaments  which  she  has  worn  from  the  beginning  until 
now,  and  oh  what  an  endless  variety  of  blossoms  and  hues  and 
perfumes  are  displayed,  although  she  ever  wore  a  servile  garb, 
and  the  weather  was  often  so  inclement !  What  shall  it  be 
when  the  eternal  spring  has  come,  when  they  who  are  servants 
shall  be  lords,  and  when  the  gifts  glorified  by  faith  shall  be 
free  to  reign  and  show  what  they  are  ?  Yes ;  then,  indeed, 
will  the  tabernacle  of  God  be  with  men,  and  it  will  be  mani- 
fest, even  to  the  sight,  that  He  dwells  among  them. 

Bright  beam  the  inward  gems  of  grace 
Through  the  mean  garb  they  wear  below, 

And  to  the  saints  of  every  race 
Their  kinsmen  in  a  moment  show. 


1  Acts,  vi.  i: 


464       66.  I  saw  a  new  Heaven  and  a  new  Earth. 

But  oh  !  the  splendour  of  the  sight, 

When  open  to  the  general  gaze, 

These  gems  in  the  unclouded  light 

Of  the  new  heaven  and  earth  shall  blaze. 
Is  not  the  antepast  of  this 
Itself  immeasurable  bliss? 

How  immeasurable  this  bliss  shall  be  may  be  inferred  from 
the  fact  that  the  Lord  Himself  expressed  a  longing  after  it.  He, 
the  Head,  even  when  on  earth,  yearned  for  fellowship  with  His 
disciples,  though  for  certain  they  had  little  to  give  Him,  and 
yearned  still  more  for  it  when  it  should  be  perfected  in  heaven. 
Hear  what  He  said  at  the  last  supper  to  His  disciples  :  "With 
desire  I  have  desired  to  eat  this  passover  with  you  before  I 
suffer :  for  I  say  unto  you,  I  will  not  any  more  eat  thereof, 
until  it  be  fulfilled ^  in  the  kingdom  of  God.  And  I  will  not 
drink  of  the  fruit  of  the  vine,  until  the  kingdom  of  God  shall 
come."^  It  thus  appears  that  even  such  imperfect  fellowship 
as  could  be  enjoyed  with  His  disciples  here  below  was  grateful 
to  the  Head — nay,  more,  that  it  directed  His  view  forward  to 
the  time  of  consummation,  and  suggested  the  thought,  Oh 
how  great  the  blessedness  of  that  will  be  !  And  if  the  Head 
thus  sighed  for  the  perfected  communion  with  the  members, 
shall  not  the  members  sigh  for  the  perfected  communion  with 
each  other  and  with  Him  ? 

Verse  4.  "And  God  shall  wipe  away  all  tears  from  their 
eyes ;  and  there  shall  be  no  more  death,  neither  sorrow, 
nor  crying,  neither  shall  there  be  any  more  pain  :  for  the 
former  things  are  passed  away." 

Here  below  we  walk  from  day  to  day  amid  tears  and  want, 
and  death  and  sorrow  and  pain,  and  it  might  well  appear  as 
if  human  life  could  not  exist  without  this  bitter  accompani- 
ment ;  and  yet  every  one  feels  in  his  inmost  heart  that  it  can- 

1  That  is,  shall  be  enjoyed  in  a  more  perfect  manner. 

2  Luke,  xxii.  15-18. 


66.  I  saw  a  new  Heaven  and  a  7iew  Earth.       465 

not  and  will  not  be  thus  for  ever.  But  if  the  Word  of  God  did 
not  attest  the  fact,  we  could  not  venture  to  trust  solely  to  the 
voice  of  the  heart,  for  are  not  our  hopes  often  the  mere  off- 
spring of  our  wishes  1  Now,  however,  we  know  it.  A  day 
will  come  on  which,  by  all  to  whom  grace  has  been  given  to 
believe  in  the  Son  of  God,  the  toils  and  tears  of  the  past  shall 
be  remembered  no  more.  Up  then,  disconsolate  hearts ! 
whatever  may  be  the  burden  which  at  present  weighs  you 
down.  Look  forward  to  the  future,  in  which  all  sufferings 
shall  be  as  if  submerged  in  a  mighty  ocean.  "  Former  things 
are  passed  away,"  says  the  voice  of  the  prophet.  The  whole 
period  of  the  world's  history  to  which  affliction  and  sorrow 
belonged  shall  lie  behind  us  like  a  morning  dream,  and  no 
remnant  of  it  be  left  but  that  "  peaceable  fruit  of  righteous- 
ness"^ which  is  the  growth  of  correction. 

Whether  there  shall  then  be  absolutely  no  kind  of  sorrow 
at  all ;  whether  not  even  sadness  nor  longing — those  tenderest 
buds  upon  the  tree  of  pain — shall  still  be  left ;  whether  there 
shall  be  no  remoter  goal  to  be  reached,  and  consequently  no 
aching  of  desire  after  it ;  whether  there  shall  not  even  be  the 
remembrance  of  the  path  of  sin  and  sorrow  through  which  we 
have  made  our  way  to  the  land  of  freedom ;  and  whether,  if 
there  be  no  remembrance,  there  will  also  be  no  sense  of  sad- 
ness as  the  residue  of  it, — these  and  similar  questions  emerge 
in  the  heart  when  with  the  eye  of  hope  we  look  across  from 
the  land  of  pilgrimage.  It  is  my  opinion  that  every  kind  of 
sorrow,  even  that  of  sadness  and  of  longing,  shall  have  passed 
away. 

No  doubt  we  shall  never  forget  the  path  that  led  us  through 
the  sins  and  tears  of  earth.  How  can  we  possibly  forget  it, 
seeing  that  it  is  likewise  a  path  through  a  sea  of  mercies  ?  But, 
then,  will  not  the  retrospect  of  it  sadden  our  hearts,  inasmuch 
as  there  must  always  remain  a  certain  discord,  never  to  be 
perfectly  harmonised,  between  the  path  we  actually  travelled 
1  Heb.  xii.  II. 
2  G 


466       66.  I  saw  a  new  Heaven  and  a  new  Earth. 

and  some  other  one  which  we  would  have  preferred  ?  No ;  I 
am  of  opinion  that  as  the  child  of  God,  even  here  on  earth, 
when  stretched  upon  a  bed  of  languishing,  and  conflicting  with 
the  pangs  of  dissolution,  is  privileged  to  exclaim  in  faith  and 
with  unmingled  joy,  "  Death  is  swallowed  up  in  victory.  O 
death,  where  is  thy  sting?  O  grave,  where  is  thy  victory?"  and 
to  avouch  that  "  the  Lord  hath  done  all  things  well,"  much 
more  shall  we  be  entitled  to  utter  this  exclamation,  when  we 
behold  the  victory,  not  by  faith  merely,  but  actually  realised. 
Yes ;  when  in  the  light  eternal,  and  from  the  throne  on  which 
the  heavenly  Father  has  vouchsafed  a  seat  with  Christ  to  those 
who  with  Christ  have  fought  and  conquered,  we  shall  survey 
from  end  to  end  the  path  we  have  traversed,  we  shall  doubtless 
exclaim,  "  He  hath  done  all  things  well."  To  ourselves,  indeed, 
we  shall  have  to  confess  that  as  we  journeyed  along  we  did 
many  things  that  were  not  well  done ;  but  yet  the  conviction 
that  where  sin  abounded  grace  did  much  more  abound,  and 
that  all  things  were  done  transcendently  well  by  Him,  will 
stifle  every  wish  that  we  had  gone  another  way  than  the  one 
we  actually  travelled.  If  there  remain  any  trace  of  the  sadness 
which  affects  us  here,  when  as  yet  we  see  not  the  consumma- 
tion, it  can  be  nothing  but  the  humility  with  which  we  shall 
laud  and  praise  Him  through  all  eternity. 

As  for  the  aching  of  desire,  how  can  there  be  room  for  either 
want  or  wish  where  God  is  all  in  all  ?  When  the  prayer  shall 
be  perfectly  fulfilled  which  the  Saviour  once  offered  for  His 
Church,  saying,  *'The  glory  which  Thou  gavest  me  I  have 
given  them,  that  they  may  be  one,  even  as  we  are  one :  I  in 
them,  and  Thou  in  me,  that  they  may  be  made  perfect  in  one, 
and  that  the  world  may  know  that  Thou  hast  sent  me,  and 
hast  loved  them,  as  Thou  hast  loved  me" — when  all  shall  be 
conformed  to  the  image  of  the  first-born  Son,  what  can  they 
still  lack,  or  what  more  can  they  possibly  desire  ?  They  shall 
see  God,  the  all-perfect  good ;  and  beyond  that,  for  what  else 
can  the  heart  yearn  ?  "  His  servants  shall  serve  Him  :  and  they 
shall  see  His  face ;  and  His  name  shall  be  in  their  foreheads. 


66.  I  saw  a  new  Heaven  and  a  new  Earth.       467 

And  there  shall  be  no  night  there ;  and  they  need  no  candle, 
neither  light  of  the  sun ;  for  the  Lord  God  giveth  them  light : 
and  they  shall  reign  for  ever  and  ever."^  Such  is  the  rest  that 
''  remaineth  for  the  people  of  God ;  for  he  that  is  entered 
into  his  rest,  he  also  hath  ceased  from  his  own  works." ^ 
Doubtless  this  is  not  the  rest  of  the  grave,  for  that  is  death. 
It  is  a  quiet  Sabbatic  rest,  in  which  the  true  action  of  the  soul 
will  commence.  Neither  will  there  be  movement  from  dark- 
ness to  light,  for  that  is  necessarily  accompanied  by  disquiet 
and  the  pain  of  desire ;  but  there  will  be  movement  in  the 
light.  When  there  is  difference,  then  there  is  also  motion. 
We  are  not  to  be  absorbed  in  Him,  rather  is  He  to  be  an  ob- 
ject of  sight  to  us.  And  will  not  this  vision  be  action  ?  Yes, 
the  very  purest  and  noblest  exercise  of  the  soul's  faculties. 
Whoever  in  this  land  of  faith  has  learned  what  it  is  to  see  with 
faith's  eye — whoever  can  tell  of  hours  in  which  that  eye  gazed 
unaverted  on  the  supreme  good,  and  was  never  satiated,  will 
be  able  to  testify  that  there  is  indeed  a  rest  in  God,  which  is 
the  soul's  highest  and  purest  action.  There  are  persons  who 
inquire  if  the  blessedness  of  this  best  of  all  enjoyments  may 
not  possibly  satiate  ;  but  it  may  be  questioned  whether  such 
persons  have  ever  here  on  earth  experimentally  known  what  it 
is  for  the  soul  to  see  God  in  faith,  and  to  find  rest  in  Him.  A 
great  man  ^  has  said :  "  If  the  eternal  Father  were  to  hold 
truth  in  His  right  hand,  and  the  endeavour  after  it  in  His  left, 
and  were  to  bid  me  choose  between  the  two,  I  would  clasp 
His  knees  and  say,  Father,  the  left''  But  can  it  be  that  there 
is  not  more  of  life  than  of  death  in  the  light,  and  that  it  is  given 
to  us  to  find  life  only  between  day  and  night?  No,  indeed  ; 
it  is  in  the  light  that  the  soul  finds  its  proper  element — that 
element  in  which  it  can  stir  and  move  and  unfold  its  wings. 
You  fear  the  monotony  of  the  life  eternal,  and  justly  might 
you  fear  it  if  it  arose  from  the  sameness  of  a  good  of  which,  as 
it  could  not  fill  the  capacity  of  the  soul,  the  soul  might  become 
weary,  and  long  for  some  other.  But  could  the  soul  become 
1  Rev,  xxii,  3-5.  2  Heb.  iv,  10.  3  Lessing. 


468       66.  I  saw  a  new  Heaven  and  a  new  Earth. 

weary,  or  think  the  time  long,  if  the  sameness  were  that  of  a 
good  which  comprehends  all  other  goods.,  and  so  fills  the  soid  that 
it  can  hold  no  more  ?  Who  has  not  experienced  that,  while  we 
are  viewing  and  enjoying  an  object  which  wholly  engrosses 
the  faculties,  time  rather  takes  to  itself  wings  and  contracts 
into  the  ecstasy  of  a  single  moment  ?  Is  it  possible  that  when 
all  barriers  are  removed,  and  all  change  ceases,  there  can  be 
such  a  thing  as  time  at  all?  In  the  plenitude  of  vision  and 
fruition  it  must  vanish  away.  Have  you  never  heard  the  story 
of  Peter  Probewell,  the  monk  ?  ^ — 

Forth  from  his  cell,  at  break  of  day, 

A  pious  monk  once  bent  his  way. 

Probewell  his  name,  his  curious  mind 

To  search  into  deep  things  inclined. 

The  vernal  air,  the  morning  sun. 

And  babbling  streamlet  cheer  him  on. 

He  seeks  the  quiet  of  the  wood, 

And  muses  thus  in  pensive  mood  : 

' '  How  rapidly  the  seasons  fly, 

Like  shifting  scenes  before  the  eye  ! 

Scarce  has  the  spring  with  artist  hand 

Beset  with  gems  the  verdant  land, 

When  summer's  horn  of  plenty  pours 

Her  endless  wealth  of  fruits  and  flowers  ; 

Then  autumn  comes,  with  mirth  and  smiles, 

To  hang  her  clusters  on  the  hills  ; 

And  while  we  still  admire  and  gaze. 

Winter  with  silver  all  o'erlays. 

If,  then,  it  please  Thy  love  to  dress 

With  such  a  changeful  loveliness 

This  earth  of  ours,  what  shall  it  be, 

O  Lord,  when  we  Thy  face  shall  see  ? 

No  doubt,  above  what  tongue  can  tell, 

That  shall  all  other  joys  excel ; 

But  if  no  change  or  pause  it  know. 

While  countless  ages  come  and  go, 

Will  not  the  spirit  weary  grow  ? 

Lord,  in  Thy  pity  deign  to  hear 

My  prayer,  and  make  this  mystery  clear. " 

As  on  he  plods,  with  labouring  mind. 
The  beeches  and  the  firs  behind 


1  After  Schubert's  prose  narrative. 


66.  /  saw  a  nezv  Heaven  and  a  new  EartJi.       469 


Recede,  and  soon  his  wondering  eyes 
See  palms  and  cedars  round  him  rise. 
Startled,  he  turns  to  leave  the  place. 
And  home  his  footsteps  to  retrace  ; 
When,  wafted  from  a  neighbouring  tree, 
There  comes  a  charming  melody, 
So  ravishingly  soft  and  clear. 
His  heart  the  while  stood  still  to  hear. 
It  was  a  bird  of  paradise 
Which  sang  of  the  predestined  bliss, 
When  the  great  day  at  last  shall  come 
And  break  the  slumber  of  the  tomb  : 
How  heavenly  dew,  in  golden  showers, 
Shall  bathe  this  barren  world  of  ours ; 
How  all  things  clad  in  fresh  array 
Shall  cast  their  servile  bonds  away  ; 
How  freedom's  shout  and  trumpet's  blare 
Shall  echo  through  the  boundless  air, 
And  angels,  rapt  in  glad  amaze, 
On  the  regenerate  world  shall  gaze. 
So  ran  the  entrancing  melody 
The  while  the  monk  stood  listening  by  ; 
Then  turned  to  go,  but,  grateful,  paid 
His  debt  of  thanks,  and,  parting,  said  : 
"  Sweet  bird,  to  hear  thy  heavenly  strain 
To-morrow  I  will  come  again." 

As  home  in  raptured  mood  he  hies, 

His  way  through  palms  and  cedars  lies, 

Till,  near  the  abbey's  fair  domain, 

The  oaks  and  firs  appear  again  ; 

Murmurs  the  stream  ;  the  fields  look  gay. 

As  seen  before  at  break  of  day ; 

Only  the  house  seemed  somewhat  strange, 

Although  he  scarce  could  tell  the  change. 

He  steps  into  the  porch,  and  there 

A  monk,  with  cold  and  distant  air. 

Accosts  him  :  ' '  Sir,  your  will  make  known. 

You  seem  to  think  this  house  your  own  ?  " 

Straight  he  replies  :   "Why  this  to  me  ? 

I'm  brother  Probewell,  as  you  see." 

"  Probewell ! "  the  monk  affrighted  cries  ; 

"  O  ghastly  sight  to  meet  my  eyes  ! 

A  thousand  years  ago  and  more 

That  name  one  of  our  brethren  bore  ; 

But  legends  old  of  him  relate 

He  met  with  a  mysterious  fate ; 


4/0       66.  /  saw  a  7iew  Heaven  and  a  new  Earth. 

For,  wandering  in  the  wood  one  day, 
He  disappeared — how,  none  could  say." 

Poor  Probe  well  heaves  a  sigh  profound, 

Casts  a  bewildered  look  around — 

Anon  to  heaven  uplifts  his  gaze, 

And  thus  in  humble  accents  prays  : 

"  O  Lord,  at  last,  with  shame,  I  own 

How  far  astray  Thy  child  had  gone. 

So  slow  of  heart  I  was,  and  blind, 

That  painful  doubts  assailed  my  mind, 

If  when  at  last  Thy  face  we  see 

In  heavenly  bliss  perpetually, 

The  soul  will  be  contented  quite 

With  the  long  beatific  sight, 

And  never,  never  weary  grow 

While  countless  ages  come  and  go  ; 

And,  lo  !  from  Paradise  a  bird. 

By  Thee  commissioned,  has  appeared. 

Which  sang  of  the  new  heaven  and  earth 

To  rise  at  nature's  second  birth. 

And  merely  with  its  charming  lay 

So  stole  my  ravished  heart  away 

As  made  a  thousand  years  fly  past 

And  seem  scarce  one  short  hour  to  last. 

Oh  !  how  then  shall  it  be  when  breaks 

That  morn  which  all  the  dead  awakes, 

When  I  shall  see  Thy  glory  shine 

Unveiled,  and  merge  my  heart  in  thine  ? 

What  sense  have  they  of  time's  swift  flight 

Who  in  the  one  chief  good  delight  ? 

A7id  even  eternity  is  notight 

To  those  who  see  the  face  of  God." 

Verses  5  and  6.  "And  He  that  sat  upon  the  throne  said, 
Behold,  I  make  all  things  new.  And  He  said  unto  me, 
Write  :  for  these  words  are  true  and  faithful.  And  He 
said  unto  me,  It  is  done.  I  am  Alpha  and  Omega,  the 
beginning  and  the  end.  I  will  give  unto  him  that  is 
athirst  of  the  fountain  of  the  water  of  life  freely." 

^^  1 77iake  allthiiigs  7ie7v"  spake  He  that  sat  upon  the  throne, 
and  who  calls  Himself  the  Alpha  and  the  Omega,  the  beginning 
and  the  end.    Is  there  not  in  this  very  name  an  intimation  that 


6(i.  I  saw  a  new  Heaven  and  a  neiv  Eai'th.       47 1 

He  who  bears  it  forethought  and  foresaw,  even  at  the  first  be- 
ginning, what  was  to  be  the  end  ?  Must  not  a  being  to  whose 
eye  time  and  space  interpose  no  barriers,  live  now  and  ever- 
more in  view  of  what  shall  eternally  be  ?  As  for  time,  what  is 
it  but  a  Viitle  fragment  of  eternity — a  few  drops  in  that  infinite 
ocean  !  Accordingly,  the  things  which  God  makes  new  are  all 
the  while  in  His  sight  likewise  the  things  which  were  old ;  and 
it  is  only  to  us,  who  are  ourselves  made  new,  and  who  grow 
and  ripen  in  time  and  with  time,  that  the  marvels  of  his  eternity 
will  be  new.  In  that  eternity  my  spirit  also,  withdrawn  from 
time,  desires  to  live.  Above  the  dark  floating  clouds  there  is 
a  blue  heaven  which  is  never  shaken,  and  never  changes.  On 
the  lofty  summits  which  the  sounds  of  earth  do  not  reach, 
reigns  everlasting  calm.  Oh  that  in  that  calm  my  spirit  could 
be  merged,  and  there  find  rest  and  peace  !  It  is  a  drama  of 
bitter  tears  which  the  fallen  race  of  men  are  performing  here 
on  earth,  and  shall  perform  until  the  day  of  redemption.  In 
their  sorrows  and  conflicts  I  must  needs  take  a  part,  but  I  do 
it  with  the  undoubting  presentiment  of  an  endless  victory. 
"  These  words  are  true  and  faithful,"  so  spake  the  lips  of  truth  ; 
and  even  though  here  on  earth  hell  were  to  celebrate  far  greater 
triumphs  than  she  actually  does,  her  temporary  victory  but 
leads  to  her  everlasting  overthrow. 

Soon  all  my  sorrows  shall  I  lay 

Down  in  the  silent  tomb — 
Glory  shall  be  my  bright  array, 

The  father's  house  my  home. 
Angels  shall  my  companions  be, 

My  ovL\yfeeli?tg']oy  ; 
And  God  to  laud  and  magnify 

For  ever  my  employ. 


472  6/.  The  Creature  shall  he  delivered 


67. 

Wciz  Creature  sjall  hz  Mi^m^  from  tfte  Bontiatje  of 
Corruption* 

Why  quivers  and  fiashes  the  flame  as  it  glows  9 
Why  murmurs  incessant  the  stream  as  it  flows  ? 
Forth  rushes  the  tempest  with  furious  bound, 
While  the  old  world  in  silence  wheels  round  and  round  ; 
O  elements,  why  do  ye  travail  and  strain  ? 
Aspire  ye  some  goal  everlasting  to  gain  ? 
What  ails  thee,  O  Nature  ?  bespeaks  the  unrest 
Through  all  thy  wide  realm  some  deep  woe  in  thy  breast  f 
Yes,  sadly  she  mourns  ;  for,  alas  !  in  a  day 
The  form  and  the  hue  of  her  offspring  decay. 
Although  she  sofotzdly  would  see  the?n  arrayed 
With  beauty  and  youth  that  were  7iever  to  fade. 
Yet,  Nature,  fight  on,  and  bewail  not  the  doom 
Of  thy  children— they  die  but  to  RISE  FROM  THE  TOMB, 
And  the  day  that  redeems  from  His  bondage  thy  Lord, 
Shall  see  thee  to  freedom  and  glory  restored. 

Rom.  xi.  36.  "  For  of  Him,  and  through  Him,  and  to  Him, 
are  all  things  ;  to  whom  be  glory  for  ever.     Amen." 

Rom.  viii.  21-23.  "  Because  the  creature  itself  also  shall  be 
delivered  from  the  bondage  of  corruption  into  the  glorious 
liberty  of  the  children  of  God.  For  we  know  that  the 
whole  creation  groaneth  and  travaileth  in  pain  together 
until  now.  And  not  only  they,  but  ourselves  also,  which 
have  the  first-fruits  of  the  Spirit,  even  we  ourselves  groan 
within  ourselves,  waiting  for  the  adoption,  to  wit,  the  re- 
demption of  our  body." 

WHAT  a  spectacle  the  creation  presents  when  I  figure 
to  myself  these  words,  ''  Of  Him.,  afid  through  Him, 
and  to  Him,  are  all  thi?2gs,"  inscribed  upon  every  object !  Soli- 
tary and  wan  they  stand,  if  we  imagine  their  connection  with 
God  done  away  -,  but  how  do  they  all  begin  to  glow,  as  it  were. 


from  the  Bondage  of  Corruption.  473 

with  many-coloured  flame,  when  we  imagme  this  connection 
restored  !  Even  when  I  think  of  any  object  as  being  a  creature 
of  God,  how  the  conception  gives  it  brightness  and  colour  ! 
"  Everything,"  says  Luther,  "  which  the  word  of  God  has 
created,  is  a  little  vocable  from  His  grammar,  by  which  He 
discloses  His  hidden  nature." 

Of  Him  are  all  things.  It  is  true  that  the  apostle  is  here 
speaking  principally  of  men,  but  yet  what  he  says  is  really  true 
of  all  things.  They  are,  as  it  were,  so  many  single  letters  of 
that  word  of  power  which  called  the  world  out  of  nothing ;  and 
although  they  be  not  the  reflection  of  God's  coimtena?ice  (for 
that  He  has  withheld  from  man),  they  are  yet  the  imprint  of 
Jlis  footsteps.  Of  the  material  world  the  apostle  affirms,  that 
"  the  invisible  things  of  Him,  even  His  eternal  power  and  God- 
head, are  clearly  seen,  being  understood  by  the  things  that  are 
made  "  ^ — that  is,  by  the  creation  of  the  world.  And  the  Book 
of  Wisdom  says,  that  if  the  heathen,  "  being  delighted  by  the 
beauty  (of  the  works  of  nature),  took  them  to  be  gods,  they 
ought  to  have  known  how  much  better  the  Lord  of  them  is ; 
for  the  first  Author  of  beauty  hath  created  them.  But  if  they 
were  astonished  at  their  power  and  virtue,  they  ought  to  have 
understood  by  them  how  much  mightier  is  He  that  made  them. 
For  by  the  greatness  and  beauty  of  the  creatures,  proportion- 
ably  the  Maker  of  them  is  seen."  ^  If  it  were  not  the  breath 
of  the  Almighty  which  bears  up  the  eagle  in  the  air,  and  paints 
the  cheek  of  the  rose,  and  on  the  earth  gives  impetus  to  the 
waters  of  the  roaring  flood,  and  in  the  firmament  wings  to 
the  swiftly  flying  clouds,  according  to  the  description  of  the 
Psalmist,  "  Thou  sendest  forth  thy  spirit,  they  are  created ; 
and  Thou  renewest  the  face  of  the  earth ; "  ^  if  the  universe 
were  nothing  but  a  piece  of  dead  carpentry,  a  lifeless  picture, 
and  if  the  Eternal  were  not  present  in  every  corner  of  creation, 
— how  could  man  possibly  feel  the  consciousness,  which  in  the 
bosom  of  nature  he  does  feel,  that  he  is  near  to  and  intimate 
with  his  God,  so  as  often  to  think  that  he  might  speak  to  Him, 

1  Rom.  i.  20.  ^  Wis.  of  Sol.  xiii.  3-5.  ^  Psalm  civ.  30. 


474  ^7'  The  Creattire  shall  be  delivered 

and  could  not  but  hear  His  voice  resounding  from  the  hills 
and  valleys  ?  If  the  Architect  do  not  still  linger  behind  in  His 
edifice,  so  that  He  can  make  us  feel  His  breath,  whence  comes 
the  fondness  with  which  we  cling  to  the  works  of  nature,  and 
experience  from  them  a  rapture  which,  for  hours  and  days  at 
least,  cools  the  wounds  and  soothes  the  aching  of  our  hearts  ? 
No  doubt  philosophers  would  persuade  me  that  my  own  heart 
is  the  book  in  which  I  read  the  grandeur  and  beauty  which  I 
behold  in  the  material  world ;  but  if  it  were  so,  why  does  not 
the  writing  within  me  quicken  of  itself?  why  do  I  not  see  it 
until  I  have  looked  upon  the  creation  without  ?  Must  it  not 
be  in  that  outward  creation  that  the  grandeur  and  beauty  re- 
side, although,  perchance,  under  restraint,  seeing  that  only 
when  I  gaze  upon  the  outward  creation  the  thought  of  its 
grandeur  and  beauty  emerges  in  my  soul?  Yes,  doubtless, 
here  also  there  is  holy  land — here  also  a  habitation  of  God. 

"  I  have  seen 
A  curious  child,  who  dwelt  upon  a  tract 
Of  inland  ground,  applying  to  his  ear 
The  convolutions  of  a  smooth-lipped  shell, 
To  w^hich,  in  silence  hushed,  his  very  soul 
Listened  intently,  and  his  countenance  soon 
Brightened  v^^ith  joy,  for,  murmuring  from  within, 
Were  heard  sonorous  cadences,  whereby, 
To  his  beUef,  the  monitor  expressed 
Mysterious  union  with  its  native  sea.^ 


Yes,- 


The  universe  is  but  a  shell,  in  whose 

Deep  bosom  traces  of  its  birth  repose. 

You  gaze  on  it  with  rapture,  and  yet  why 

Is  it  so  silent  ?     Gaze  not,  but  apply 

To  the  twin-parted  lips  an  eager  ear, 

And  pause  the  murmured  harmony  to  hear, 

Which,  like  a  solemn  echo,  seems  to  sound 

From  the  far  home  in  which  it  being  found, 

And  intimates  of  life  the  ocean  vast 

From  whence  it  came,  to  which  returns  at  last, 

T/ij'ough  Him  are  all  t/ii?igs.     The  word  which  He  uttered 

1  Wordsworth. 


from  the  Bondage  of  Corruption.  4^^ 

on  the  morning  of  creation  has  never  ceased  to  sound.  As  it 
called  all  things  into  being,  so  does  it  likewise  uphold  all 
things  now  and  for  evermore.  This  the  apostle  tells  us  in  the 
words, — "  Who  being  the  brightness  of  His  glory,  and  the 
express  image  of  His  person,  upholdeth  all  things  by  the  word 
of  His  power  :'^  ^  and  this  Christ  Himself  avers  when  He  says, 
"  My  Father  worketh  hitherto,  and  I  work."  ^  Sweet  and 
fresh  are  waters  at  their  source  ',  but  when  they  have  flowed, 
or  remained  at  rest  awhile,  they  become  tepid  and  bitter. 
But,  like  water  direct  from  the  fountain,  the  stream  of  life 
which  runs  through  all  created  things,  now  and  for  ever  flows 
and  rushes  as  sweet  and  fresh  as  on  the  day  of  their  creation. 
Such  are  my  thoughts  when  I  stand  upon  mountain-tops,  and 
beneath  me,  from  their  feet  to  their  snowy  summits,  find  life 
in  the  grasses,  in  the  soft  rustling  of  the  woods,  in  the  crash  of 
the  avalanche,  the  gushing  fountains,  and  the  clouds  that 
career  above  my  head ;  and  still  more  when  I  again  descend 
among  the  green  corn-fields  and  the  streams  that  surge  in  the 
valleys.  Enraptured,  I  then  exclaim.  Yes  !  it  is  His  word  of 
power  that  now  sustains  all  things,  as  it  did  on  the  day  they 
were  made. 

From  the  world  of  men  and  its  destructive  forces,  its  con- 
flicts and  sins,  I  fly  for  refuge  into  the  tranquil  Sabbath  of 
nature.  And  yet  is  there  really  2i perfect  Sabbath  here?  Have 
war  and  destruction  met  with  bounds  which  they  cannot  pass  ? 
Is  this  solely  a  land  of  untroubled  peace  ?  Single  hours  of 
rapture  and  solacement,  like  those  enjoyed  in  nature,  are  occa- 
sionally met  with  even  in  the  world  of  men.  But  are  the 
vanity  and  strife  and  ruin  which  in  that  world  wound  the  heart 
— are  these  altogether  unknown  to  nature?  No,  indeed.  For 
as  she  contains  within  her  the  image  of  all  that  is  ennobling 
and  delightful  in  humanity,  does  it  not  seem,  on  the  other 
hand,  as  if  we  had  smitten  her  with  our  distemper  ?  Is  it  only 
in  the  human  breast,  and  not  also  in  the  bowels  of  the  earth, 
that  destruction  rages?  Does  the  baneful  poison  prey  on 
1  Heb.  i.  3.  2  John,  v.  17. 


47^  6/.  The  Creature  shall  be  delivered 

none  but  the  children  of  men?  Has  it  not  spread  into  the 
animal  and  vegetable  worlds ;  nay,  even  penetrated  into  the 
mineral  kingdom  far  down  in  subterranean  depths  ?  What 
vice  is  there  which  has  not  its  counterpart  among  the  lower 
animals  ?  Of  what  single  product  of  nature  can  we  truly  affirm 
that  it  is  in  all  respects  a  successful  and  complete  and  perfect 
specimen  of  creative  power?  Are  there  many  of  her  special 
works  which  are  not  susceptible  of  improvement  by  human  art, 
and  which  the  human  intellect  cannot  beautify  and  strip  of 
innate  faults  and  blemishes  ?  I  read  an  acknowledgment  to 
this  effect  from  the  pen  of  philosophers  who  are  not  known  to 
have  ever  felt  the  yearning  of  God's  children  for  a  lost  paradise. 
"  There  is  none — not  even  the  most  beautiful  of  her  creations 
— that  is  free  from  a  certain  discord,"  says  one  of  the  masters 
of  natural  science. ^  Oh  no  !  If  the  burdened  spirit  of  man 
does  at  times  draw  breath  afresh  in  the  bosom  of  nature,  even 
nature  does  not  at  every  hour,  at  every  place,  and  in  every 
single  production,  offer  what  can  give  him  contentment. 

The  earth  is  fair  enough  to  be  for  heaven  a  waitlng--^\-&.Q.Q. , 
Not  from  the  heart  the  blessed  hope  of  heaven  to  efface. 

Do  we  not,  at  the  very  outset  of  history,  and  immediately 
after  the  Fall,  read  the  words  :  "  Cursed  is  the  ground  for  thy 
sake ;  in  sorrow  shalt  thou  eat  of  it  all  the  days  of  thy  life  ; 
thorns  also  and  thistles  shall  it  bring  forth  to  thee ;  and  thou 
shalt  eat  the  herb  of  the  field  "?^  Do  we  not  learn  that  man, 
when  fallen,  was  forced  to  turn  his  back  upon  paradise  ?  Are 
not  these  thorns  and  thistles  only  one  of  the  links  in  the  chain 
of  the  baneful  forces  which  manifest  themselves  through  the 
whole  domain  of  nature,  beautiful  although  she  be?  And  may 
not  a  confirmation  of  that  primeval  sentence,  which  came  from 
the  mouth  of  God,  be  found  in  the  passage  where  our  Lord 
calls  these  baneful  forces  the  power  or  ar7ny  of  Satan,  who  is 
the  great  "  enemy  of  mankind "  ?  "I  beheld,"  were  His 
words,  "  Satan  as  lightning  fall  from  heaven.  Behold,  I  give 
1  G.  Forster.  2  Qgn.  iii,  17,  18. 


from  the  Bondage  of  Corruption.  477 

unto  you  power  to  tread  on  serpents  and  scorpions,  and  over 
all  the  power  of  the  enemy."  ^  And  is  it  not  to  this  that  the 
prophet  refers,  when  in  figurative  language  he  foretells  that  a 
branch  from  the  root  of  David  shall  bear  fruit  ?  "  And  there 
shall  come  forth  a  rod  out  of  the  stem  of  Jesse,  and  a  branch 
shall  grow  out  of  his  roots  :  and  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  shall 
rest  upon  him,  the  spirit  of  wisdom  and  understanding,  the 
spirit  of  counsel  and  might,  the  spirit  of  knowledge  and  of  the 
fear  of  the  Lord ;  and  shall  make  him  of  quick  understanding 
ii>  the  fear  of  the  Lord  :  and  he  shall  not  judge  after  the  sight  of 
his  eyes,  neither  reprove  after  the  hearing  of  his  ears  :  but  with 
righteousness  shall  he  judge  the  poor,  and  reprove  with  equity 
for  the  meek  of  the  earth :  and  he  shall  smite  the  earth  with 
the  rod  of  his  mouth,  and  with  the  breath  of  his  Hps  shall  he 
slay  the  wicked.  And  righteousness  shall  be  the  girdle  of  his 
loins,  and  faithfulness  the  girdle  of  his  reins.  The  wolf  also 
shall  dwell  with  the  lamb,  and  the  leopard  shall  lie  down  with 
the  kid ;  and  the  calf  and  the  young  lion  and  the  fatling  to- 
gether ;  and  a  little  child  shall  lead  them.  And  the  cow  and 
the  bear  shall  feed ;  their  young  ones  shall  lie  down  together : 
and  the  lion  shall  eat  straw  like  the  ox.  And  the  sucking 
child  shall  play  on  the  hole  of  the  asp,  and  the  weaned  child 
shall  put  his  hand  on  the  cockatrice'  den.  They  shall  not 
hurt  nor  destroy  in  all  my  holy  mountain  :  for  the  earth  shall 
be  full  of  the  knowledge  of  the  Lord,  as  the  waters  cover  the 
sea."  2 

Alas  !  that  upon  an  earth  overgrown  with  thorns  and  thistles 
the  fallen  children  of  Adam  can  so  easily  forget  heaven,  and 
cease  to  long  for  it.  What  would  they  have  done  upon  an 
earth  on  which  there  were  no  thorns  or  thistles  at  all?  Was 
it  not  well  that  their  punishment  should  at  the  same  time  be 
of  the  nature  of  a  cure  ?  And  if  it  was  on  man's  account  that 
the  creature  was  made  subject  unto  vanity — as  the  language  of 
the  apostle,  "  not  willi7igly,  but  by  reason  of  Him  who  hath  sub- 
jected the  same,''  clearly  intimates — who  but  must  involuntarily 
1  Luke,  X.  18,  19.  2  isa.  xi.  1-9. 


47^  6/.  The  Creature  shall  be  delivered 

subjoin,  like  the  apostle,  that  this  has  been  done  "  in  hope  "  ?  ^ 
And  if  that  be  true,  then  does  the  future  reserve  for  nature, 
no  less  than  for  man,  a  resurrection  morn  on  which  she  will 
put  on  her  festive  robes. 

To  Him  are  all  things.  This  also  the  hopeful  soul  may  ven- 
ture to  utter  with  reference  to  the  whole  creation.  It  waits, 
as  the  apostle  says,  and  even  with  earnest  expectation,  for  the 
manifestation  of  the  sons  of  God,  being  ordained  to  participate 
in  their  "  glorious  liberty,"  and  to  be  then  delivered  from  the 
"  bondage  of  corruption."  Within  tts,  as  we  know,  there  lies 
a  resurrection  germ,  which,  though  for  the  present  restrained, 
shall  on  the  day  of  our  emancipation  spring  up,  fostered  by  the 
vernal  sun  of  the  life  everlasting.  And  in  nature  also  a  similar 
germ  Hes  hid.  The  earth  is,  so  to  speak,  the  nurse  of  a  king's 
son,  who,  when  the  babe  was  cast  out,  had  to  submit  to  be 
cast  out  along  with  him.  But  the  babe  shall  one  day  inherit 
his  father's  throne,  and  then  shall  the  earth  also  be  exalted 
with  him  to  glory. 

Fair  art  thou,  earth,  clad  in  thy  bright  array  ! 
And  when  thy  radiant  beauty  I  survey, 
Enraptured  I  exclaim,  Yes,  thou  art  fair  ! 

Such  is  the  exclamation  which  even  now  from  the  mountain 
heights  I  shout  down  into  the  echoing  valleys,  and  my  heart 
palpitates.  But  my  heart  can  scarcely  hold  its  emotion  when 
I  anticipate  the  day  on  which,  free  from  all  error  and  sin,  I 
shall  shout  it  into  a  new  and  glorified  world. 

It  is  true  that  the  new  heart,  when  emancipated  from  sin 
and  error,  sees  nature  in  a  fairer  light  than  before.  So  that 
there  was  a  certain  measure  of  truth  in  the  doctrine,  that 
nature's  glorification  will  consist  in  nothing  but  the  glorifica- 
tion oi  our  sense  of  sight,  when  all  tears  shall  have  been  wiped 
from  our  eyes,  and  all  burdens  lifted  from  our  hearts.  From 
certain  passages  of  his  writings,  this  seems  to  have  been  the 
opinion  of  Luther.  He  says :  *'  When  we  are  in  a  cheerful 
mood,  a  little  tree,  or  even  a  b^eautiful  flower  or  shrub,  gives 

1  Rom.  viii.  20. 


from  the  Bondage  of  Corruption.  479 

us  delight  j  but  when  we  are  sorrowful  we  do  not  care  to  look 
at  them.  Heaven  and  earth  shall  be  made  new,  and  we  be- 
lievers shall  become  one  flock."  It  is  also  related  of  him,  that 
being  in  company  with  some  friends,  after  jesting  for  a  while 
with  each  other,  they  came  at  last  to  speak  upon  serious  sub- 
jects, such  as  the  life  eternal,  and  how  the  heaven  and  earth 
shall  be  made  new,  and  how  Adam  and  Eve  fell  out  of  paradise 
— that  is,  lost  the  grace  and  favour  of  God ;  but  that  we  shall 
all  have  a  second  and  eternal  life  in  the  world  to  come.  There 
shall  then,  he  said,  "  be  a  new  heaven  and  a  new  earth ;  the 
flowers,  and  leaves,  and  grass  shall  be  as  beautiful  and  charm- 
ing as  emeralds,  and  all  creation  lovely  in  the  highest  degree. 
Let  us  only  have  the  grace  of  God,  and  then  the  creatures 
smile  upon  us.  Were  I  to  command  a  flint  to  become  a 
precious  stone,  it  would  be  so  from  that  hour.  In  the  new 
heavens  a  delectable  light  will  for  ever  shine.  What  we  now 
would  fondly  wish  to  be,  that  shall  we  then  become,  and  where 
the  thoughts  are,  there  will  also  be  the  body." 

And  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  when,  with  hearts  made 
perfectly  free,  we  can  smile  into  the  face  of  nature,  nature  too 
will  reflect  back  our  smile  with  a  loveliness  far  surpassing 
what  we  now  behold.  But  neither  what  the  apostle  says  about 
the  deliverance  of  the  creature  fro7n  the  service  of  vanity,  nor 
the  predictions  of  the  prophet,  nor  the  words  of  Jesus  Christ, 
admit  of  such  an  interpretation.  I  am  rather  of  opinion  that 
the  hostile  and  destructive  forces  in  the  domain  of  nature  are 
not  mere  reflections  from  our  beclouded  eyes,  but  that  the 
material  creation  is  really  destined  to  share  in  the  liberty  one 
day  to  be  conferred  upon  the  children  of  God. 

Thou  God  of  mercy,  who  can  tell  all  the  delectation  and 
grace  which  Thou  hast  in  reserve  for  us  Thine  undeserving 
creatures  !  Would  we  but  reflect  upon  it,  and  grasp  it  with 
a  strong  and  unwavering  hope ;  would  we  but  live  our  life 
here  below  continually  looking  up  to  those  blessed  things 
and  that  ineflable  inheritance  into  which,  to  our  astonish- 
ment. Thou  wilt  one  day  admit  us  on  reaching  the  land  of 


480  6^.  The  Creature  shall  be  delivered,  &c. 

freedom,  how  worthless  would  appear  all  the  baits  with  which 
the  fleeting  pleasures  of  the  world  entice  us  !  The  conscious- 
ness of  our  utter  unworthiness  of  such  displays  of  favour  and 
compassion  would  check  the  very  first  motions  of  sin.  At 
every  retrospect  of  the  past  we  are  bowed  down  by  the  count- 
less memorials  of  Thy  mercy.  Yet,  for  all  that,  we  have 
before  us  a  whole  eternity  in  which  Thy  mercy  shall  be  still 
more  largely  unfolded  to  us.  Happy  the  man  who  can 
embrace  these  things  with  a  strong  and  lively  hope,  and  being 
here  on  earth  already  saved,  serves  Thee,  Thou  God  of  love 
ineffable,  with  simphcity  of  heart ! 

A  day  will  dawn  when  from  on  high, 

Heaven  shall  come  down  to  dwell  on  earth ; 

And  then  shall  through  creation  fly 
Once  more  the  word  that  gave  it  birth. 

Full  many  a  noble  germ  now  hid 

Deep  in  our  breasts  as  in  a  tomb, 
Waits  the  new  "Let  there  be"  to  bid 

It  wake  to  life,  and  bud  and  bloom. 

Yes, — even  the  elements  that  day. 

When  freedom's  shout  rings  through  the  air. 

Shall  shake  the  dust  of  earth  away, 
And  as  at  first  grow  young  and  fair. 

As  through  the  crystal,  warm  and  bright. 

Pierces  the  sun's  meridian  beam, 
So  through  all  creatures  whom  His  might 

Has  made,  the  breath  of  God  shall  stream. 


IV. 

Efjt  Circle  of  Human  %iU. 

^^  fobo  kill  Unt^  me,  m  it  fleets  afang, 

^a  make  t^e  \noBt  oi  life's  brief  Irriuter  bag  ? — 

^el^olly,  l^e  Cl^urelj  edeitbs  tlje  ^anb  ot  graee, 

^0  ^elp  l^e  pilgrim  entering  on  t^e  rate, 

^nb  ere  l^e  tljreatening  storms  otrsture  t^e  skg, 

gielbs  |im  a  refuge  in  l^er  sanetuarg. 

^)^Rt  l^anb  l^e  ^crlhs  itntil,  in  strengtij  inereaseb, 

^i^e  piaster  ealls  Ijim  to  t^e  ^olg  feast ; 

Wi^txs;  t^e  nefo  man  reeeibes  enngenial  iooln, 

gis  Meb^  tlje  oIlt  in  ll^e  baptismal  floob. 

Sbl^us  trained  bg  l^ome  mxh  C^rtrelj  to  mtzt  ti^e  strife, 

|n  manlj00b's  strength  l^e  takes  t^e  fielb  cf  |iife ; 

^nb  first  tlje  Inibe  anb  barious  scene  e^'ploreb, 

^eleets  some  spot  on  brijitlj  to  serbe  tlje  ITorb. 

^e^'t,  tl^at  tl^e  ^ours  of  toil  mag  stoeetlg  glibe, 

pe  tails  tijc  gentle  Ijelpmate  to  Ijis  siire ; 

ginb  labours  on,  till,  olb  anb  brearg  grofen, 

^inb  beat^  approaching  mofos  tl^e  beteran  bobrn. 

i;ijen  mtzt  tlje  mourners  rounb  Ijis  silent  grabe, 

ginb  #ob  abore  for  tlje  bear  frienb  |)e  gabe. 


2  H 


68.  On  New-  Years  Day.  483 


68. 

The  world  is  slippery,  walk  with  heed — 
Points  God  the  way,  there  show  thy  speed. 

Fortune  is  round  and  foils  the  hand — 
Built  on  God's  Word,  thy  work  shall  stand. 

Satan  is  cunning,  fear  his  wiles — 
If  mocked,  the  mocker  he  beguiles. 

Strait  is  the  gate,  strive  to  pass  thro2igh — 
If  hard  the  strife,  thy  load  undo. 

Life  s  fleeting,  make  of  it  the  most — 
Count  every  step,  or  all  is  lost. 

Tim^s  short,  let  there  thy  stake  be  small — 
In  vast  eternity  embark  thine  all. 

Psalm  xc. — A  Prayer  of  Moses,  the  man  of  God. —  Verses 
I,  2.  "Lord,  Thou  hast  been  our  dwelHng-place  in  all 
generations.  Before  the  mountains  were  brought  forth, 
or  ever  Thou  hadst  formed  the  earth  and  the  world,  even 
from  everlasting  to  everlasting,  Thou  art  God." 

HOW  beautiful  a  prayer  for  New-Year's  Day !  Moses 
was  an  old  and  much-tried  man,  but  age  and  experi- 
ence had  taught  him  that,  amidst  the  perpetual  changes  which 
are  taking  place  in  the  universe,  one  thing  at  least  remains 
immutable,  even  the  faithfulness  of  Him  who  is  "  from  ever- 
lasting to  everlasting  God."  How  far  back  into  the  past  may 
the  patriarch  have  been  looking  when  he  spake  these  words  ? 


484  68.  On  Nezv-  Years  Day. 

The  burning  bush,  the  fiery  furnace  of  Egypt,  the  Red  Sea, 
Pharaoh  with  his  chariots  of  war,  and  the  weary  march  of 
Israel  througk  the  wilderness,  were  all  before  him ;  and  in  all 
of  them  he  had  experienced  that  "  God  is  the  rock,  His  work 
perfect,  all  His  ways  judgment."  ^  But  Moses  was  looking 
beyond  these  scenes  of  his  personal  history  when  he  said, 
"  Remember  the  days  of  old,  consider  the  years  of  many 
generations,"^  and  we  may  be  sure  that  he  was  also  looking 
beyond  them  when  he  indited  the  song,  "  Thou  hast  been  our 
dwelhng-place  in  all  generations."  Yes ;  he  was  casting  in 
his  mind  how  God  had  been  the  refuge  of  Jacob  and  Isaac,  of 
Abraham,  Noah,  and  all  the  patriarchs.  Moses  could  take 
a  retrospect  of  above  a  thousand  years,  which  had  all  con- 
firmed the  truth.  I  can  do  more.  At  this  point  of  time 
I  can  look  back  to  the  days  of  Moses  and  Joshua  and  David, 
and  descending  thence  to  the  days  of  the  Son  of  God  upon 
earth,  and  of  Paul  and  Peter,  and  all  the  saints  of  the  Church 
down  to  the  present  hour ;  and  what  a  thousand  years  avouched 
to  Moses,  three  thousand  now  avouch  to  me  :  the  Lord  is  the 
dwelling-place  of  those  that  trust  in  Him  from  generation  to 
generation.  Yes  ;  and  to  Him  who  was  the  refuge  of  a  Moses 
and  an  Abraham,  I  too  in  the  day  of  trouble  can  lift  my  hands. 
Delightful  thought !  That  great  Being  who,  during  the  lapse 
of  three  thousand  years,  amidst  the  countless  changes  of  the 
universe,  has  to  this  day  remained  unchanged,  is  my  God. 

Verses  3,  4.  "Thou  turnest  man  to  destruction  ;  and  sayest. 
Return,  ye  children  of  men.  For  a  thousand  years  in 
Thy  sight  are  but  as  yesterday,  when  it  is  past,  and  as 
a  watch  in  the  night." 

From  life  to  death  there  is  but  a  step,  and  that  step  a 
moment.  All,  indeed,  seem  to  calculate  that  to  them  it  will 
be  a  step  of  immeasurable  length,  one  counting  upon  fifty, 
another  upon  sixty,  a  third  upon  seventy  or  even  a  hundred 

1  Deut.  xxxii.  4.  ^  Deut.  xxxii.  7. 


68.  On  New-  Year's  Day.  485 

years.  But  long  steps  always  involve  a  risk,  and  often  wholly 
miscarry.  The  fifty,  or,  it  may  be,  the  eighty  years  for  which 
they  look,  seem  to  them  a  fortune  too  vast  for  any  spending 
to  exhaust.  But,  ah  me  !  every  moment  I  live  is  so  much 
subtracted  from  my  life,  and  life  is  really  little  else  than 
a  lingering  death.  Of  all  fleeting  things,  what  is  there  so 
fleeting  ?  Is  it  not  swifter  than  the  ship  that  passes  over  the 
waves — than  a  weaver's  shuttle  that  is  never  at  rest  ^ — than 
a  post  who  fleeth  away  ^ — than  the  rush  of  waters  when  the 
drought  dissolves  the  snow  ^ — than  the  smoke  that  vanisheth 
into  the  air^ — than  the  shadow  of  a  cloud  coursing  over  the 
plain  ?  And  yet,  so  thoughtless  is  man,  that  he  fancies  life  to 
be  of  all  funds  the  most  inexhaustible.  Let  who  will  say  if 
this  be  not  playing  the  fool.  It  is,  in  fact,  the  very  conduct 
on  account  of  which  the  name  of  Fool  is  applied  in  Scripture. 
"  Soul,"  said  the  wealthy  husbandman  to  himself,  when  he  had 
built  his  barns, — "  Soul,  thou  hast  much  goods  laid  up  for 
many  years ;  take  thine  ease,  eat,  drink,  and  be  merry."  But 
death  sang  to  him  in  another  strain,  "  Thou  fool,  this  night 
thy  soul  shall  be  required  of  thee."  ^ 

How  transitory  we  are  Moses  clearly  shows  in  the  words 
before  us,  by  contrasting  man's  brief  span  of  life  with  the 
eternity  of  God.  Such  a  comparison  of  man  with  God 
aftords  the  best  means  of  knowing  either  what  we  are  or  what 
we  are  not.  And  yet  who  ever  tries  to  estimate  the  shortness 
of  his  own  existence  by  comparing  it  with  God's  eternal  dura- 
tion ?  It  is  true  that  here,  as  in  all  other  respects,  God  can 
challenge  us,  and  say,  "  To  whom  will  ye  liken  me  and  make 
me  equal,  and  compare  me  that  we  maybe  like?"*^  In  the 
passage  before  us  Moses  at  least  makes  the  attempt,  saying 
that  "  a  thousand  years  in  His  sight  are  but  as  yesterday  when 
it  is  past."  To  a  being  of  whom  this  can  be  affirmed,  how 
brief  must  appear  the  whole  successive  generations  of  man- 
kind !     As  morning  succeeds  night,  so  one  race  another,  and 

ijob,  vii.  6.  ^Job,  ix.  25.  ^  Job,  xxiv.  19. 

•i  Psalm  cii.  4.  ^  Luke,  xii.  20.  '^  Isa.  xlvi.  5. 


486  6S.  On  New-  Year's  Day, 

they  pass  as  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye.  Often  have  I  stood 
beside  a  flowing  stream,  and  as  I  beheld  wave  incessantly  fol- 
lowing wave,  and  still  the  new  wave  come,  I  have  mused  with 
unutterable  emotion  on  the  like  instability  of  human  life.  We 
are,  indeed,  but  dust  and  ashes.  But  then  the  Eternal  knows 
that  we  are  but  dust  and  ashes ^  and  this  is  one,  and  doubtless 
not  the  feeblest,  of  the  pleas  on  which  we  can  build  our  hope 
when  we  come  before  His  face. 

"  For  He  remembers  we  are  dust, 

And  He  our  frame  well  knows. 
Frail  man,  his  days  are  like  the  grass, 

As  flower  in  field  he  grows. 
For  over  it  the  wind  doth  pass, 

And  it  away  is  gone  ; 
And  of  the  place  where  once  it  was, 

It  shall  no  more  be  known,"  i 

But  nevertheless,  in  this  withering  foliage  of  humanity  the 
Eternal  has  made  His  abode.  He  erected  His  tabernacle 
among  us,  and  "  we  beheld  His  glory."  And  what  although 
this  flower  of  the  field  perish  before  the  evening  wind  ;  it  does 
not  perish  for  ever,  but  will  revive  beneath  a  brighter  heaven, 
and  bloom  afresh,  never  more  to  wither.  How  low  the  Scrip- 
tures abase  man  on  the  one  hand,  and  yet  to  what  a  height 
they  exalt  him  on  the  other !  And  if  so,  I  cannot  but  think, 
that  on  a  New-Year's  Day,  while  the  chief  impression  received 
from  all  around  is  of  the  rapid  flight  of  life,  that  impression 
ought  not  to  be  allowed  to  take  exclusive  possession  of  the 
mind.  No ;  on  such  a  day,  the  more  I  am  made  to  feel  that 
I  am  dust  and  ashes,  the  more  will  I  also  feel  the  magnitude 
of  that  grace  which  has  done  for  dust  and  ashes  such  great  and 
mighty  things.  In  approaching  the  throne  of  God,  I  derive 
confidence  from  a  double  source, — from  the  thought  that  I  am 
nothing,  and  also  from  the  thought  of  that  glory  which,  not- 
withstanding. He  has  put  upon  mankind,  and  which  He  invites 
all  to  partake. 

1  Psalm  ciii.  14-16. 


68.  On  New-  Year's  Day.  487 

> Verses  5-9.  "Thou  earnest  them  away  as  with  a  flood; 
they  are  as  a  sleep  :  in  the  morning  they  are  hke  grass 
which  groweth  up.  In  the  morning  it  flourisheth,  and 
groweth  up  ;  in  the  evening  it  is  cut  down,  and  withereth. 
For  we  are  consumed  by  Thine  anger,  and  by  Thy  wrath 
are  we  troubled.  Thou  hast  set  our  iniquities  before 
Thee,  our  secret  sins  in  the  light  of  Thy  countenance. 
For  all  our  days  are  passed  away  in  Thy  wrath  j  we  spend 
our  years  as  a  tale  that  is  told." 

Stout  and  strong  to-day, 
To-morrow  turned  to  clay. 

This  day  in  his  bloom, 
The  next,  in  the  tomb. 

It  is  true  that  to  some  Death  sends  his  grey  harbingers 
before,  and  gives  them  timely  warning  of  his  approach.  But 
in  how  many  cases  does  he  arrive  unannounced,  and,  lifting 
his  scythe,  mows  down  the  lofty  !  On  shipboard  there  is  but 
a  plank  between  us  and  death ;  on  horseback,  but  a  fall.  As 
we  walk  along  the  streets,  death  stretches  a  threatening  finger 
from  every  tile  upon  the  roofs  !  "  He  comes  up  into  our  win- 
dows and  enters  into  our  palaces ;  he  cuts  off  the  children 
from  without,  and  the  young  men  from  the  streets."^  Our 
life  is  less  than  an  handbreadth.  How  soon  and  how  insen- 
sibly we  slip  into  the  grave  ! 

But  while  youth  lasts,  we  pay  no  attention  to  this.  We 
look  at  the  advancing  waves  upon  the  flood  of  time,  more  than 
at  those  which  have  rolled  past,  and  sing  to  ourselves — 

What  though  full  many  waves  I  see 

Sweep  downwards  to  the  main. 
The  rolling  flood  continually 

Brings  wave  on  wave  again. 

There  comes  a  time  at  length,  however,  when  the  eye  involun- 
tarily looks  back,  and  observing  the  many  waves  that  have 
rolled  past,  perceives  in  spite  of  itself  that  few  can  now  roll 
towards  us  from  before  !     We  also  find  that  the  longer  we  live 

1  Jer.  ix.  21. 


488  6S.  On  New-  Year's  Day. 

the  faster  does  life  seem  to  fly,  as  if  it  were  a  task  which 
practice  rendered  easy.  Like  a  dreamless  sleep,  year  passes 
after  year,  and  when  past,  appears  but  a  moment. 

In  this  fleeting  nature  of  life,  the  aged  Moses  was  made  to 
taste  the  wrath  of  God.  For  the  doom  that  had  gone  forth 
against  that  whole  generation,  without  exception  of  himself, 
and  by  which  they  perished  in  the  wilderness,  nor  ever  entered 
the  promised  land,  was  the  penalty  of  their  disobedience.^ 
And  all  of  us  like  him,  in  the  frailty  and  mortality  to  which  we 
are  subject  here  below,  may  also,  in  a  certain  sense,  be  said  to 
taste  the  divine  displeasure  at  sin.  We  come  to  see  that  a  life 
so  sorely  beset  with  wretchedness  and  frailty,  cannot  possibly 
be  that  true  life  which  man  would  enjoy,  were  he  still  the  pure 
and  unfallen  child  of  God.     Is  not  the  sigh — 

O  land  of  substance,  land  of  truth,  for  thee 
Longs  my  fond  heart,  yea  faints  thy  light  to  see  ! 

as  often  as  it  breaks  from  our  bosoms,  a  confession  that,  like 
the  prodigal,  we  are  sojourners  in  "a  far  country" — a  country 
governed  by  other  laws  than  those  of  our  native  land,  and  into 
which  sin  has  entered  with  death  in  her  train  P^  Oh  that  even 
the  withering  grass  of  the  field,  and  the  fading  rose  upon  the 
cheek,  and  all  perishing  things  in  this  terrestrial  vale,  might 
teach  me  the  mournful  truth  that  I  am  the  prodigal  son,  exiled 
from  my  home  and  country,  and  enduring  well -deserved 
wrath  ! 

Verses  10-12.  "The  days  of  our  years  are  threescore  years 
and  ten ;  and  if  by  reason  of  strength  they  be  fourscore 
years,  yet  is  their  strength  labour  and  sorrow;  for  it  is 
soon  cut  off,  and  we  fly  away.  Who  knoweth  the  power 
of  Thine  anger  ?  Even  according  to  Thy  fear  so  is  Thy 
wrath.  So  teach  us  to  number  our  days,  that  we  may 
apply  our  hearts  unto  wisdom." 

■  There  are  many  who  suppose  that  a  clear  and  certain  fore- 

1  Num.  xxxii.  12-16.  2  Rom.  v.  12. 


68.  On  New-  Year's  Day.  489 

knowledge  of  the  day  of  their  death  would  exert  a  very  power- 
ful influence  upon  their  mind.  In  this  opinion,  however,  there 
must  be  some  deception.  All  know  full  well  that  life  cannot 
last  above  seventy,  or,  at  the  most,  eighty  years.  If  we  reach 
that  term  without  meeting  the  grim  reaper  with  his  scythe, 
there  or  there  about  meet  him  we  surely  shall.  Death  being 
thus  the  most  certain  of  all  certain  events,  why  not  begin  at 
once  the  work  of  preparation  for  it  ?  And  yet  we  do  nothing 
of  the  kind.  In  place  of  preparing  to  die,  we  continue  aug- 
menting the  number  of  our  si7is.  If,  then,  the  thought  of  death 
from  a  distance  of  seventy  or  eighty  steps  makes  so  faint  an 
impression  upon  the  heart,  would  the  impression  be  very  much 
stronger  if  made  from  a  distance  of  ten  or  twenty  ?  There  is 
here  room  for  doubt. 

And  yet,  on  the  other  hand,  the  fact  is  undeniable  that,  at 
an  advanced  stage  of  life,  when  the  landmark  between  time 
and  eternity  presents  itself  at  no  great  distance,  the  thoughts 
do  become  more  apt  than  formerly  to  range  beyond  it.  We 
may  hence  fairly  conclude  that  a  premonition  of  death  would 
be  the  most  impressive  of  all  intimations  which  a  man  could 
hear,  at  least  if  it  discovered  to  him  that  he  was  dose  upon 
time's  awful  boundary.  In  that  case,  it  would  oftener  strike 
his  eye,  and  more  readily  suggest  the  question,  what  prepara- 
tion should  be  made.  The  good  of  meditating  upon  death 
consists  in  the  incitement  it  gives  to  inquire  after  Him  who 
has  vanquished  its  terrors.  Unless  it  lead  to  an  acquaintance 
with  Jesus,  meditating  upon  death  can  have  no  effect  in  de- 
livering us  from  the  convulsive  embrace  in  which  this  life  of 
sense  enfolds  the  man  unacquainted  with  a  better.  In  fact,  he 
who  shudders  at  the  reality,  will  shudder  even  at  the  thought^ 
of  death ;  and  therefore,  so  long  as  Jesus  has  not  taken  away 
its  terror  from  the  soul,  we  will  seek  to  avoid  even  thinking  of 
it ;  and  the  more  unavoidable  we  find  the  thought,  the  more 
will  our  fright  increase.  It  is  not  so  with  me.  God  be 
thanked  !   I  know  Him  who  has  disarmed  death  of  his  sting, 


490  6S.  On  New-  Years  Day. 

and  hence  I  can  think  without  dismay  that  the  steps  to  the 
grave  are  at  the  most  but  fourscore. 

That  thought  has  for  me  no  terrors,  because  I  have  learned 
where  a  sweeter  rest  is  to  be  found  than  in  the  bosom  of  this 
sublunary  world  :  it  is  in  the  bosom  of  God.  To  the  man  who 
has  never  had  even  a  faint  presentiment  of 'the  blissful  Sabbath 
which  the  soul  will  there  enjoy,  it  may  appear  an  incredible 
thing  when  he  is  told,  as  by  the  Psalmist  here,  that  life,  even 
when  it  is  sweetest,  is  only  "  labour  and  sorrow."  He  feels 
but  the  loss  he  sustains  when  the  labour  and  the  sorrow  cease. 
He  knows  nothing  of  the  gain  which  may  then  accrue.  Mine 
is  a  different  case.  A  lively  sense  of  gratitude  and  joy  kindles 
in  my  inmost  soul  when  I  reflect  that,  calculated  at  the  longest, 
seventy  or  eighty  steps  will  bring  me  to  my  journey's  end. 
Let  others  quail  at  the  milestones  which  stand  by  the  wayside, 
and  tell  the  passing  pilgrim  how  small  a  portion  of  his  journey 
is  still  before  him  compared  with  that  which  lies  behind :  for 
my  part,  I  can  behold  them  without  dismay — nay,  I  hail  them 
as  I  pass  with  joy;  and  to  me  such  a  milestone  is  every  New- 
Year's  Day.  My  looks  are  all  the  oftener  directed  homewards, 
and  my  pace  quickens.  Does  it  not  even  wing  the  feet  of  the 
fainting  traveller  to  behold  the  towers  of  his  native  city  rising 
above  the  mist,  and  appearing  every  moment  more  and  more 
brightly  to  the  view  ? 

No  doubt  we  must  be  sure  about  the  place  to  which  the  way 
is  conducting  us.  He  who  has  found  upon  earth  the  city  of 
his  affections,  and  who  with  every  onward  step  is  only  advanc- 
ing towards  a  mist,  may  well  look  upon  New-Year's  Day  as  a 
day  of  sorrow.  Well  may  it  be  a  dark  and  gloomy  day  to  the 
man  who,  as  a  poor  and  humble  pilgrim,  is  journeying  to  some 
royal  city,  where  he  has  not  a  single  friend  to  welcome  his 
arrival,  or  offer  him  the  shelter  of  a  roof  A  poor  and  humble 
pilgrim  am  I ;  but,  God  be  thanked  !  I  know  of  one  who  long 
ago  prepared  for  me  a  place. ^  Hence  it  is,  that  as  I  pass  the 
milestones,  each  in  succession  becomes  an  altar,  on  which  I 

1  John,  xiv.  3. 


6S.  On  New-Year's  Day.  491 


present  oblations  of  gratitude  and  praise.  There  are  many, 
I  am  aware,  to  whom  the  thought  of  the  flight  of  time  is 
dispiriting.  For  me,  I  feel  and  experience  that  "  He  hath  not 
given  to  us  the  spirit  oi  fear,  but  oi power P  ^  Fear  enfeebles, 
but  confidence  invigorates  the  mind. 

Whoe'er  has  washed  his  sin  and  guilt 

In  Jesus'  blood  away, 
And  to  Him  cleaves  like  loving  child 

Still  closer  day  by  day, 

With  spirit  undismayed  will  meet 

The  lowering  future's  wrath  ; 
Though  floods  may  fall  and  tempests  beat, 

He  keeps  his  homeward  path. 

I  know  what  awaits  me  in  my  Father's  house,  and  hence. 

Why  should  I  hide  that  oft  with  longings  keen 
To  reach  the  better  land  my  bosom  swells. 
On  whose  celestial  plains,  full  well  I  ween. 
That  good  the  soul  here  vainly  pants  for  dwells, 
Hailing  with  eager  hope  the  happy  day 
When  death  shall  free  my  wings  to  soar  away  ? 

But  I  also  know  that  "  whatsoever  a  man  soweth  "  here, 
"  that  shall  he  reap  "  hereafter,  and  therefore, 

In  hope  rejoicing  precious  seed  I  sow, 
Men's  hearts  the  soil,  the  seed  God's  holy  Word. 
And  forth  to  see  the  growth  full  oft  I  go  ; 
Tending  it  well  in  name  of  my  great  Lord — 
Not  in  my  own — until  the  harvest  come. 
When  I  shall  reap  the  bliss  of  my  eternal  home. 

1  2  Tim.  i.  7. 


492  6g.  A  Birthday. 

69. 

^   BirtljtJag. 

Soul. 
Lord,  spare  me  yet  one  year,  and  it  shall  be 
Devoted  all  to  duty  and  to  Thee. 

Lord. 
The  boon  I  gra^it ;  but  YEARS  are  quickly  Jlown, 
Seize  then  the  DAYS,  and  make  each  day  thine  own. 

Luke,  xiii.  6-9.  "  A  certain  man  had  a  fig-tree  planted  in 
his  vineyard ;  and  he  came  and  sought  fruit  thereon,  and 
found  none.  Then  said  he  unto  the  dresser  of  his  vine- 
yard, Behold,  these  three  years  I  come  seeking  fruit  on 
this  fig-tree,  and  find  none  :  cut  it  down  ;  why  cumbereth 
it  the  ground  ?  And  he  answering  said  unto  him.  Lord, 
let  it  alone  this  year  also,  till  I  shall  dig  about  it,  and 
dung  it :  and  if  it  bear  fruit,  well ;  and  if  not,  then  after 
that  thou  shalt  cut  it  down." 

SO  then  a  year,  one  year,  the  respite  lasts  : 
Whether  I  am  to  be  cut  down,  or  grow 
For  ever  in  my  Master's  vineyard  fair, 
All  hangs  on  the  decision  of  a  year. 
Lord,  three  long  years  Thou  didst  the  fig-tree  spare, 
That  emblem  of  my  life  in  all  its  length — 
Didst  dig  about  it,  and  the  branches  prune. 
Binding  the  tender  shoots  in  the  rude  blast ; 
And  duly  as  the  year  this  day  brought  round, 
The  fig-tree  Thou  didst  visit,  seeking  fruit, 
And  still  hast  spared  it,  though  the  search  proved  vain, 
Redoubling  all  Thy  care  and  pains  again. 

"  Take  then  a  book,  and  on  its  leaves  inscribe 
What  on  thy  fickle  heart  to  write  were  vain — 


69.  A  BirtJiday.  493 

All  I  have  done  for,  all  I've  tried  on  thee." 
Master,  Thy  voice  I  hear,  and  my  soul  weeps, 

And  self-conviction  is  what  makes  it  weep. 

Oh  yes,  my  heart  is  fickle,  now  so  soft 

That  fades  each  line  as  if  on  fluid  traced, 

The  next  hour  harder  than  unmolten  brass. 

Well,  such  a  book  I'll  write,  and  thus  begin, — 

Footsteps  of  grace  abounding  in  the  life 

Of  an  unthankfid  child.     Be  that  the  title, 

And  I  will  daily  read  it  till  the  tale 

Is  on  the  tablets  of  my  heart  engraved. 

The  only  volume  large  enough  to  hold  it. 

How  hast  Thou  cherished  me.  Thou  God  of  love ! 
With  larger  truth  repaid  my  faithlessness. 
And  daily  borne,  and  spared  me,  and  forgiven  ! 
Oft  walked  Thine  angel  at  my  side  unseen ;  1 
Oft  have  I  quailed  before  my  foes,  while  round 
About  me  were  Thy  fiery  hosts  encamped, ^ 
All  unperceived,  because  faith's  eye  was  dim. 
Yes  ;  still  the  ladder,  once  by  Jacob  seen, 
Stands  unremoved  betwixt  the  earth  and  sky. 
And  if  we  would  but  upwards  more  aspire, 
To  us  the  blessed  angels  would  come  down. 
Our  hearts  are  shut.  Thy  heaven  stands  open  wide, 
And  angel  after  angel  sallies  forth. 
Jehovah,  Thou  who  mak'st  Thy  messengers 
The  winds.  Thy  minister  the  flaming  fire,^ 
Oh  take  the  fleshly  bandage  from  mine  eyes, 
That  as  I  still  encounter  on  my  way 
The  heralds  of  Thy  love  disguised,  I  may 
Through  the  dim  veil  their  features  recognise. 
Fondly  I  longed  such  visitants  to  see, 
Yet  barred  the  entrance  when  they  came  to  me. 
And  how  have  I  requited  all  Thy  goodness  ? 
Oh  !  am  I  still  Thy  child,  or  have  I  been 
1  Psalm  xxxiv.  7.  2  2  Kings,  vi.  17.  3  pgalm  civ.  4. 


494  ^9-  ^  Birthday. 

Haply  from  the  fair  garden  of  Thy  samts 
Uprooted  long  ago,  like  many  a  tree 
Which  to  the  world  seems  to  blossom  fair, 
Though  knit  by  scarce  a  fibre  to  the  root  ? 
The  field  which,  watered  oft  and  plenteously, 
Repays  with  thorns  and  briers  the  dresser's  care, 
Is  nigh  to  cursing.^     Am  I  such  a  field. 
Curse-smitten  ?     Yes  ;  such  were,  indeed,  my  fate, 
Tried  by  the  laws  and  precedents  of  man, 
Nor  writ,  nor  advocacy  could  me  save. 
For  oft,  oh  yes,  how  oft,  words  cannot  tell, 
I  have  been  richly  watered.     But,  thank  God  ! 
I  know  the  phraseology  of  heaven — 
Know  that  on  high  the  little,  vocable 
Oft  has  a  larger  import  than  on  earth.  ^ 
Well  know  I,  too,  that  when  among  the  thorns 
That  fence  the  field  the  sv^eQifo?'get-me-not 
Stands  a  mute  suppliant,  the  master  ne'er 
Disdains  the  lowly  beauty  of  that  flower. 
Yet  is  he  not  with  only  flowers  content. 
But  asks  for  corn,  and  wheat,  and  wholesome  herbs 
Reared  by  the  hand  of  painful  industry. 
Hear  then,  O  Lord,  my  sorrow.     When  of  old 
Thou  to  my  care  didst  a  small  field  intrust, 
To  keep  and  dress  it  was  my  happiness  ; 
I  never  thought  of  duty  or  reward ; 
I  never  felt  the  irksomeness  of  toil ; 
The  day's  employment  was  the  day's  delight. 
As  years  fled  on,  Thy  love  my  bounds  enlarged, 
And  to  my  growing  strength  gave  ampler  sphere. 
Alas  !  the  larger  field  bore  scantier  fruit. 
Oh  that  for  acting  manhood's  arduous  part 
The  might ^fr^/  love  inspired  were  mine  once  more  ! 
Not  that  the  high  pulse  tamed,  the  bounding  heart 
Sobered  and  cooled — not  that  I  these  deplore, 
i  Heb.  vi.  7,  8.  ^  Matt,  xviii.  21,  22. 


69.  A  Birthday.  495 

I  wish  not  back  the  eyes  with  tears  bedewed, 
The  meltings  soft,  the  raptures  high,  renewed. 
Childhood  must  pass  with  its  caresses  sweet, 
And  manhood  come,  with  toils  for  manhood  meet. 
So  the  bright  emerald  robe  of  spring  decays, 
And  gives  to  autumn's  golden  treasures  place. 
When  in  the  Word  Thou  dost  with  zeal  rebuke 
That  slumbering  Church  which  her  first  love  forsook, 
Not  tearful  eyes,  not  bosoms  all  on  fire, 
Are  what  Thy  keen  heart-searching  looks  require ; 
But  first  love's  active  zeal  and  busy  hand, 
"  Repent,  do  the  first  works"  ^  is  Thy  command. 
With  throbbing  bosom  I  approach  the  source 
Whence  some  proud  river  takes  its  origin ; 
And  as  I  there  behold  the  waters  rise, 
Spotless  as  silver  or  the  orient  pearl — 
Yet  how,  still  more  and  more  as  on  they  flow. 
Sluggish  and  dark  at  each  remove  they  grow — 
Fast  down  my  cheeks  the  bitter  tears  descend, 
And  with  the  fountain's  crystal  waters  blend  j 
So  at  my  own  life's  fountain  pensively 
I  stand,  and  oft  repeat  the  poet's  sigh  : — 

' '  Thou  lowly  spot,  where  first  I  saw  the  light, 
Experienced  my  first  pleasure,  my  first  pain  ; 
Few  else  may  know  thee ;  all  who  know,  disdain 
Yet  still  one  heart  for  thee  with  fondness  burns, 
Constant  to  thee,  where'er  I  wander,  turns." 

Say,  ye  who  know  the  heart,  why  does  it  beat 
Thus  sadly  at  the  place  where  the  young  eye 
Drank  the  first  sunbeam,  and  life's  pulse  first  throbbed  ? 
Yet  why  o'er  all  the  sunniest  spots  between 
Flies  the  fond  look  to  linger  on  that  scene  ? 
Feel  we  the  wish  to  live  life  o'er  again, 
To  seek  the  footmarks,  by  the  storms  of  time 
All  but  obliterated,  and  once  more 

1  Rev.  ii.  5. 


496  6g.  A  Birthday. 

Retrace  them  one  by  one,  as  from  the  way 

They  deviate  to  the  right  hand  and  the  left — 

Here  o'er  the  flinty  rocks,  there  through  the  marsh  ? 

Ah,  no,  poor  human  Hfe  !  to  have  outUved, 

Is  to  have  quite  outworn,  thy  happiest  hours  ; 

Thy  oil  of  joy  swims  on  a  sea  of  tears, 

Thy  sunbeams  are  refracted  on  dark  clouds. 

And — deepest  aggravation  of  our  woe — 

The  drop  which  still  bedews  affliction's  eye 

Is  to  it  like  the  glass  that  cheats  the  vision. 

And  multiplies  one  sorrow  to  a  thousand. 

Live  o'er  my  life  again  ! — Yes,  the  fond  heart 

Yearns  for  the  flood  of  our  departed  years, 

But  yearns  not  for  the  bed  in  which  it  flowed. 

Oh,  could  I  grasp  the  torrent  in  my  hand, 

And  pour  it  forth  afresh,  and  guide  its  way 

By  a  new  course  and  channel  to  the  main. 

Then  would  I  wish  to  live  life  o'er  again. 

In  spirit  thus,  at  my  life's  source  I  stand ; 
Gazing  upon  the  silvery  rill,  methought 
My  burdened  heart  to  solace  with  the  sight, 
But,  lo,  my  tears  have  stained  the  waters  bright. 

Yet  is  it  so  ?     Does  life  but  once  begin  ? 
Yes,  only  once  for  him,  who  must  repair 
To-morrow,  while  it  lasts,  this  day's  neglects  ; 
For  him  who,  as  he  journeys  on  his  way. 
Bears  onward  with  him  still  from  stage  to  stage 
A  vast  and  an  accumulating  load 
Of  sins,  and  of  omissions,  debts,  and  cares. 
Up  to  the  gates  of  the  eternal  world. 
Yes,  it  begins  but  once  ;  for  time  is  swift, — 
No  morrow  ever  overtakes  to-day — 
No  day  is  ever  longer  than  another ; 
But,  ah  !  our  debts  swell  like  the  avalanche, 
And  if  unpaid  we  leave  them  when  we  die, 
Unpaid  they  stand  through  all  eternity. 


6g.  A  Birthday.  497 

Not  such  my  case,  oh  no  ;  for  I  have  found 
The  ehxir  that  imparts  immortal  youth, 
O'erwhelms  the  gloomy  shadows  of  the  past, 
And  life,  both  in  its  dawn  and  day,  restores. 

0  blessed  power  of  faith  !  I  know  thee  well ; 
Thou,  like  the  great  Creator's  mighty  fiat, 
Dost  swallow,  in  a  moment,  ancient  night. 
And  call  a  new,  more  glorious  world  to  light. 

Yes,  I  do  know  thee  well ;  and  if  this  day, 
When  by  the  guilt  of  a  whole  year  weighed  down. 
And  even  by  my  own  partial  heart  condemned, 

1  yet  can  calmly  lift  my  eyes  to  heaven, 
The  praise,  O  wonder-working  faith,  is  thine. 
Thou  from  the  chaos  in  this  breast  of  mine. 
Where  midnight  and  despair  had  fixed  their  reign, 
Didst  life  evoke,  and  love  to  life  again. 

What  was  I?     I  know  not.     What  am  I  now? 
A  new-born  babe  bearing  his  Father's  name, 
A  shield  from  every  harm,  upon  his  brow ; 
And  who,  though  thousand  foes  against  him  come. 
Walks  undismayed  to  his  eternal  home. 

Oh  what  a  change,  bafiling  all  thought  to  fathom  ! 
Sunk  in  despair,  I  only  lived  to  sigh  ; 
Now  all  my  grief  is  turned  to  ecstasy. 
Then  in  Thy  vineyard  let  me  still  remain, 
And  Thou  shalt  seek  no  longer  fruit  in  vain ; 
For  though  the  past  have  Thy  forbearance  proved, 
Yet,  sure,  if  grace  for  grace  thus  overflow, 
The  heart,  however  cold,  at  last  will  glow — 
My  first  works  I  will  do,  and  love  as  once  I  loved. 


Thou  peaceful  spot,  where  on  my  wakening  soul 
The  hght  of  Grace  its  earliest  radiance  shed, 

And,  yet  untasted  sorrow's  poisoned  bowl, 

Through  my  young  being  a  sweet  tincture  spread, — 

How  does  thine  air,  so  soft  and  balmy,  still 

The  pilgrim  warm  in  age's  evening  chill ! 

2  I 


49^  70-  Baptism. 


Life  oped  to  me  her  gates,  and  at  my  feet 
Scattered  the  ghttering  gauds  that  tempt  desire. 

Proud  Science  called  me  to  her  sacred  seat, 
And  Art  allured  with  all  her  smiling  quire. 

The  world  my  brow  with  honour's  chaplets  bound, 

And  wide  and  wider  stretched  the  circle  round. 

Life's  lowly  hut  a  lordly  palace  grew, 
Swelled  to  a  spacious  sea  the  little  lake  ; 

Alas  !  as  if  disaster  it  foreknew, 

On  the  wide  scene,  my  heart  began  to  ache  ; 

And  with  a  longing,  mixed  of  joy  and  pain, 

Sighed  for  the  little  hut  and  lake  again. 

And  wherefore  thus,  even  when  at  noontide  high 
Sparkles  life's  sea,  as  if  with  gems  bestrewed. 

Back  to  the  peaceful  lake  of  Infancy, 

Pants  the  fond  heart  with  longing  unsubdued  ? 

It  is  because,  while  lasts  sweet  childhood's  morn, 

The  rosy  hues  of  Grace  the  scene  adorn. 


70. 

Oh  ill  betides  the  little  stone 

That  on  some  desert  waste  is  thrown, 

And  there  forsaken  lies  : 
And  such  by  nature,  child,  thou  wert, 
But  now  we  take  thee  atid  insert 

Into  a  glorious  edifice. 

Romans,  vi.  4.  "  Therefore  we  are  buried  with  Him  by 
baptism  into  death  :  that  Hke  as  Christ  was  raised  up 
from  the  dead  by  the  glory  of  the  Father,  even  so  we  also 
should  walk  in  newness  of  life." 

IT  is  a  joyful  sight  when  the  parent  looks  upon  his  new- 
born babe.     "  A  woman  when  she  is  in  travail  hath  sor- 
row, because  her  hour  is  come  \  but  as  soon  as  she  is  delivered 


70.  Baptism.  499 

of  the  child,  she  remembereth  no  more  the  anguish,  for  joy 
that  a  man  is  born  into  the  world."  ^  To  see  before  me  a  life, 
of  which  I  can  say  that  it  is  a  portion  of  my  own — a  human 
being  bodily  and  spiritually  knit  by  the  closest  and  most  indis- 
soluble bonds  to  myself — awakens  deep  emotion.  The  feeling 
is  akin  to  pride,  but  pride  it  should  not  be ;  for  how  can  we 
be  justly  proud  of  what  we  only  receive  as  a  boon  ?  Besides, 
the  same  thought  which  here  uplifts  the  mind,  is  calculated 
also  to  humble  it.  For  what  patrimony  can  I  convey  to  my 
offspring  ?  I  may  give  him  all  that  I  am  by  nature.  I  cannot 
give  him  what  I  have  become  by  grace  ;  and  the  errors,  con- 
flicts, and  defeats  through  which  I  have  forced  my  way,  await 
also  him.  Oh  then,  that  at  the  very  commencement  of  his 
course  I  could  secure  for  him  a  blessing,  which  might  serve 
for  a  helmet  on  his  head,  and  a  buckler  about  his  breast,  as 
he  journeys  on  his  way  ! 

Surely  there  can  be  no  parent  but  must  have  heartily  thanked 
God  for  that  passage  of  Gospel  history  which  informs  us  that 
the  Saviour  welcomed  little  children  when  they  were  brought 
unto  Him,  and  took  them  in  His  arms  and  blessed  them. 
After  this  there  can  be  no  mistake  that  He  loves  the  little 
ones ;  that  He  does  not  despise  them  because  they  are  bom 
flesh  of  flesh  ;  nay,  that  He  even  looks  upon  them  as  possessed 
of  softer  hearts  than  ours.  And  if  so,  how  can  we  ever  doubt 
that  He  beholds  it  with  approbation  and  delight,  when,  con- 
vinced that  the  best  blessings  we  ourselves  possess  are  those 
derived  from  Him,  we  bring  to  Him  also  our  little  ones  and 
crave  the  same  gifts  for  them  ?  He  has  declared  that  all  who 
resemble  these  little  ones — all  who,  like  them,  with  eager  eye 
and  outstretched  hand  are  seeking  for  a  guide — are  welcome  to 
His  kingdom ;  surely,  then,  the  little  ones  themselves  must  be 
heartily  welcome  too.  They  are  so  ready  to  obey  the  look,  the 
nod,  the  word  of  man.  Oh  were  the  Saviour  to  undertake  the 
charge  of  them,  and  from  the  first  to  operate  upon  their  tender 
minds,  with  what  alacrity  they  would  follow  His  direction  ! 

1  John,  xvi.  21. 


500  70-  Baptism. 

It  is  true  I  do  not  clearly  understand  the  way  in  which  He 
imparts  His  blessing  in  the  holy  ordinance  of  baptism ;  but 
just  as  little  do  I  clearly  understand  how  the  blessing  was  im- 
parted to  the  children  upon  whom  in  the  days  of  His  flesh  He 
put  His  hand.  And  yet  nothing  can  be  more  certain  than 
that  it  was  no  vain  word  which  He  then  spoke,  and  that  neither 
in  infancy  nor  riper  years  did  any  one  ever  feel  the  Saviour's 
gracious  hand  upon  his  head  without  at  the  same  time  feeling 
the  Saviour's  gracious  power  within  his  heart.  We  are  often 
conscious  of  a  strong  sense  of  gladness  in  all  the  veins  and 
members  of  the  natural  man,  and  yet  we  cannot  tell  whence  it 
proceeds.  If,  however,  it  arise  from  the  imperceptible  influ- 
ence of  the  air,  which,  warmed  and  tempered  by  the  material 
sun,  penetrates  through  secret  and  invisible  pores,  and  operates 
with  exhilarating  effect  upon  the  fountain  of  natural  flfe,  why 
may  not  the  breath  of  the  Spirit  of  Jesus  be  able  to  penetrate, 
with  the  same  genial  efficacy,  into  the  human  soul,  and  there 
awaken  Hfe  in  its  inmost  seat  ?  Oh  when,  in  the  plenitude  of 
faith,  I  take  the  child  which  He  has  given  me,  and  given  me 
to  rear  for  heaven,  and  presenting  it  to  Him,  say, — Lord,  I 
know  that  of  myself  I  am  unequal  to  the  task — I  therefore 
choose  Thee  to  be  the  proper  Father  of  my  child;  receive 
him  under  Thy  care,  and  train  him  in  the  right  way, — this  is 
an  entreaty  which  He  never  will  reject.  He  graciously  answers. 
Yes.  And  what  else  but  this  gracious  answer  is  the  sacrament 
of  baptism,  which  He  makes  the  appointed  minister  of  His 
Word  dispense  to  my  child  ? 

"  He  that  believeth  and  is  baptised  shall  be  saved."  For 
the  present,  indeed,  the  child  is  incapable  of  faith,  and  all 
that  can  be  done  is  for  me  in  his  name  to  say,  /  believe.  But 
then  if  the  child  believes  me,  and  if  I  assure  him,  and  confirm 
by  actions  the  truth  of  my  words,  that  there  is  none  else  to 
whom  I  can  go  for  eternal  life  but  unto  Jesus,  he  will  be  dis- 
posed to  believe  that  too  on  my  assurance  \  and  in  so  far 
his  faith  is  concealed  and  wrapped  up  in  mine.  Neither  let  it 
be  forgotten  that  the  Saviour  opened  His  Church  to  believers 


70-  Baptism.  501 

of  all  degrees — to  the  weak  as  well  as  the  strong,  to  babes  in 
faith  no  less  than  to  full-grown  men.  Take,  then,  the  case  of 
a  child  who  from  the  first  dawn  of  consciousness  is  reared 
among  those  who  love  the  Lord,  and  whom  the  mother,  while 
feeding  him  with  the  nutritive  milk  of  her  breast,  feeds  also  with 
the  richer  milk  of  her  heart,  even  her  faith  in  the  Saviour,  and 
why  should  we  doubt  that,  from  the  moment  he  opens  his  eyes 
to  gaze  into  hers,  such  a  child  is  a  shoot  on  the  mystical  vine  of 
Christ  ?  Yes,  long  before  either  parent  has  uttered  one  word 
of  instruction,  have  the  mother's  eyes  been  preaching  to  him 
in  the  truest  sense  of  the  term.  And  oh  how  much  an  eye  can 
express — the  eye  of  a  mother — a  mother's  eye,  which  Jesus  has 
enlightened  !  The  deep  peace  of  mind,  the  holy  resignation, 
the  purified  love,  reflected  in  the  eye  of  a  Christian  mother, 
all  penetrate  through  her  suckling's,  as  he  gazes  on  it,  and  go 
straight  into  his  heart.  How  much  soul,  too,  there  is  in  such 
a  mother's  voice  when  she  soothes  her  babe,  and  how  its  holy 
tones  reach  his  inmost  being  long  before  he  rightly  apprehends 
the  meaning  of  the  words  !  Add  to  all  this  the  silent  and  irre- 
sistible discipline  which  the  manners  of  a  Christian  household 
never  fail  to  exercise  upon  the  members,  and  the  daily  obser- 
vation of  a  life  purified  by  the  Spirit  of  Jesus,  in  father  and 
mother,  brothers  and  sisters.  Ah  !  I  am  persuaded  we  lay  far 
too  much  weight  upon  preaching  aloud  with  words,  and  far 
too  little  upon  preaching  silently  with  works.  As  the  flower 
in  a  dark  cellar  is  attracted  by  a  mysterious  thirst  towards  the 
chink  which  admits  the  ray — as  the  infant  himself,  upon  enter- 
ing the  world,  and  before  he  has  opened  his  eyes  to  the  material 
light,  turns  to  the  side  on  which  it  shines — even  so,  I  believe, 
before  the  intellectual  powers  have  been  roused  to  action,  may 
the  infant  soul  be  drawn  by  a  mysterious  instinct  towards  the 
great  source  of  spiritual  light,  and  imbibing  its  beams,  be  un- 
folded for  eternity.  The  apostle  himself  says  of  the  children 
of  Christian  parents  that  they  are  "  holy."  ^  Nay,  he  tells  us 
that  "  the  unbelieving  husband  is  sanctified  by  the  beheving 
^  I  Cor.  vii,  14, 


502  "JO.  Baptism, 

wife,"  in  respect  that  mere  fellowship  with  a  Christian  soul  can- 
not but  have  a  blessed  effect  even  upon  a  heathen.  And  how 
then  should  the  tender  flowers  of  childhood,  reared  upon  the 
soil  of  Christian  faith,  and  in  the  atmosphere  of  Christian  love, 
remain  unblest  ? 

Only  let  parents,  when  presenting  their  children  to  Jesus  in 
baptism,  present  them  in  true  faith,  and  for  the  sake  of  their 
faith,  Jesus,  I  believe,  will  receive  the  little  ones,  graciously 
make  Himself  known  to  them,  and  bless  them,  however  young. 
Nor  will  the  bond  of  intimacy  which  He  then  forms  with  their 
souls  be  broken,  at  however  early  an  age  He  may  see  fit  to 
transplant  them  from  the  garden  of  earth  to  the  garden  of 
heaven.  Of  God's  great  garden  this  earth  is  but  one  small 
bed  ;  and  if  into  that  garden  He  have  once  by  holy  baptism  ad- 
mitted a  little  plant,  so  will  He  also  not  fail  to  select  for  it  the 
bed  most  propitious  for  its  growth.  Hence,  O  my  child,  I  shall 
not  be  dismayed  even  though  it  should  please  the  Lord  to  with- 
draw thee  soon  from  my  care.  I  know  that  He  will  intrust  thee 
to  a  better  care  than  mine.  I  have  buried  thee  with  Christ  by 
baptism  unto  death.  Now  then  thou  art  dead,  and  thy  life  is 
hidden  in  Jesus,  but  sooner  or  later  He  will  bring  it  to  the  light. 

Little  one,  thou  art  now  not  mine  only ;  thou  art  also  the 
babe  of  Christ.  No  more  a  child  of  low  degree,  thou  art 
henceforth  the  offspring  of  a  great  King,  and  we  owe  thee  re- 
verence. I  have  received  thee  from  the  hand  of  Jesus,  and 
into  the  hand  of  Jesus  must  I  deliver  thee  back.  When  our 
Lord  beheld  the  young  daughter  of  Jairus  upon  the  bed, 
"The  damsel,"  He  said,  "is  not  dead,  but  sleepeth  j"  and  re- 
calling her  departed  spirit.  He  restored  her  to  her  parents,  that 
they  might  give  her  food,  and  invigorate  her  reawakened  life.^ 
Even  so,  my  child,  He  who  is  our  common  Lord  has  roused 
thee  from  thy  sleep  and  consigned  thee  to  my  hands,  that  I 
may  nurture  and  train  thee  up.  Oh,  when  I  this  day  call  to 
mind  the  woe  which  He  has  pronounced  against  those  who 
shall  offend  a  little  child,^  how  my  soul  is  overpowered  by  its 

1  Mark,  v.  43.  2  Matt,  xviii.  6. 


70.  Baptism.  503 

weight  !  It  may  be  that  thou  wilt  forsake  thy  Master,  but  God 
forbid  that  thou  shouldst  ever  have  cause  to  charge  me  with 
having  offended  thee  !  Little  one,  as  thy  sponsor,  I  have  to- 
day declared  in  the  sanctuary  /  believe,  and  by  so  doing  have 
become  answerable  for  thy  faith.  Now,  therefore,  it  must  be 
my  concern  and  endeavour  that  thou  mayest  one  day  appear 
in  the  sanctuary  for  thyself,  and  in  thine  own  name  confess,  / 
believe.  But  God  be  thanked  !  this  concern  pertains  not  to  me 
only.  No  ;  He  who  woke  thee  from  thy  slumber,  and  con- 
signed thee  to  my  hands,  has  heard  my  prayer — heard  me 
acknowledge  that  of  myself  I  am  Unequal  to  the  task.  God  be 
thanked  !  the  child  is  His  as  well  as  mine. 

Kind  and  gracious  Master,  oh  what  a  debt  of  gratitude  I  owe 
Thee  for  providing  my  little  one,  at  his  very  entrance  into  life, 
with  such  a  shelter  and  defence  I  I  will  repeat  to  him  from  day 
to  day  that  he  no  longer  belongs  to  me  alone.  I  will  remind  him 
whose  hand  has  been  laid  upon  his  head,  whose  blessing  he 
has  received,  and  into  what  a  goodly  vineyard  grace  and  pity 
have  transplanted  him.  Yes,  my  child,  thou  art  indeed  come 
into  the  land  flowing  with  milk  and  honey.  That  is  the  sweet 
food  of  all  who  dwell  in  the  region  of  grace ;  and  hence  the 
custom  in  the  ancient  Church  of  giving  milk  and  honey  to  the 
babe  they  were  baptishig.  I  will  tell  him  what  a  solemn  en- 
gagement I  have  undertaken  in  the  sanctuary.  Surely  he  will 
be  unwilling  that  my  word  should  be  broken.  And  even  though 
he  might  not  scruple  thus  to  put  to  shame  his  father  on  earth, 
never,  surely,  will  he  think  of  putting  to  shame  that  heavenly 
Father  by  whom  he  has  been  adopted.  No  ;  he  will  enter  the 
battle  like  a  hero,  having  now  a  Captain  to  lead  him  on.  Nor 
does  he  require  to  fight  in  his  own  strength.  He  will  fight  in 
the  strength  of  his  Prince,  who  is  the  Prince  of  Life.  In  the 
baptism  of  the  ancient  Church  they  anointed  the  child  with 
oil.  It  was  an  emblem  of  that  unction  of  the  Holy  Ghost  by 
which  he  will  now  be  enabled  to  run  his  race  and  not  be  weary. 
"  When  I  passed  by  thee,  and  saw  thee  polluted  in  thine 
own  blood,  I  said  unto  thee  when  thou  wast  in  thy  blood, 


504  "jc.  Baptism. 

Live;  yea,  I  said  unto  thee  when  thou  wast  in  thy  blood, 
Live."i  O  my  child,  it  is  the  almighty  God  of  heaven  and 
earth  who  allures  thee  with  such  language.  Canst  thou  resist  ? 
Remember  thou  didst  not  first  love  Him.  No,  He  first  loved 
thee,  and,  moved  by  love  alone,  drew  thee  to  Himself,  arrayed 
thee  when  naked  in  a  royal  robe,  put  bracelets  on  thine  arm,  a 
chain  about  thy  neck,  and  a  crown  upon  thy  head.  All  this 
He  did,  not  only  without  desert  of  thine,  but  before  thou 
couldst  even  choose  between  good  and  evil.  And  against  such 
loving-kindness  canst  thou  harden  thy  heart  ?  It  cannot  be. 
Thou  wilt  yield  to  the  love  of  Jesus.  It  will  govern  thy  heart 
and  guide  thy  life.  It  welcomed  and  embraced  thee  on  thy 
entrance  into  the  world,  and  thou,  to  show  thy  gratitude,  wilt 
cleave  unchangeably  to  it,  drawing  from  it  supplies  of  vital 
strength  to  invigorate  thy  weakness. 

Oh  that  it  may  be  my  lot  with  thee,  and  with  all  who  are 
and  who  may  yet  be  mine,  one  day  to  enter  His  presence,  and 
say,  "  Behold,  O  Lord,  here  am  I,  and  the  children  whom 
Thou  hast  given  me  "  !  ^ 

Take  this  babe  whom  we  present, 

Lord,  to  Thee,  and  own  him  Thine. 
On  his  heart  Thine  image  print, 

On  his  brow  Thy  seal  divine  ; 
That  when  the  deadly  foes  assail, 
Thy  name  and  sign  may  turn  them  pale. 

Flesh  of  flesh,  of  Adam's  race, 

Naked  thou  wert  born  and  blind  ; 
Chosen  now  by  sovereign  grace. 

And  for  child  of  God  designed, 
Where  is  the  seraph  in  the  skies 
Who  dares  thy  lineage  despise  ? 

Forth  into  the  war  of  life, 

Now  for  thee  there's  no  retreat  ; 
Yet  to  shield  thee  in  the  strife. 

Wear  the  sign  that  wards  defeat. 
Lo  !  as  the  drops  thy  brow  bedew, 
Methought  a  conqueror's  wreath  they  grew. 


1  Ezek.  xvi.  6.  ^  Isa.  viii.  i8. 


71.  Profession  of  Faith.  505 

Child,  thy  pedigree  survey, 

Offspring  both  of  heaven  and  earth, 
And  when  mingh'ng  in  the  fray, 

Ponder  well  thy  twofold  birth. 
This  will  a  watchful  care  inspire, 
With  courage  that  thy  bosom  fire. 

If  the  foe  shall  tempt  to  slumber, 

Bent  thy  soul  by  stealth  to  slay, 
Show  him  thou  dost  well  remember 

That  the  feeble  child  of  clay 
To  watch  and  strive  has  constant  need, 
In  such  an  arduous  war  to  speed. 

But  if  open  force  he  try. 

Counting  thee  an  easy  prey. 
Then  assert  thy  hneage  high. 

Prove  thy  heavenly  birth,  and  say, 
He  whom  God  to  crown  engages, 
Laughs  at  Satan  when  he  rages. 


71. 

The  food  with  which  the  babe  is  fiursed, 

As  still  in  arvis  he  lies, 
The  mother's  self  partakes  of  first, 

Then  from  her  breast  supplies. 

An  infant  at  the  mother  s  breast 

Pve  been  until  this  day, 
Afid faith' s  sweet  7na7i7ta,  her  repast, 

Has  nourished  me  alway. 

And  I  have  fared  so  well  that  now, 

When  free  a  change  to  try, 
That  food,  I  at  the  table  vow, 

Shall  feed  me  till  I  die. 


Col.  ii.  6,  7.  "  As  ye  have  therefore  received  Christ  Jesus 
the  Lord,  so  walk  ye  in   Him  :  rooted  and  built  up  in 


5  o6  71.  Profession  of  Faith. 

Him,  and  stablished  in  the  faith,  as  ye  have  been  taught, 
abounding  therein  with  thanksgiving." 

SO  then  I  have  this  day  emerged,  as  it  were,  afresh  from 
the  baptismal  waters.  There  my  beloved  parents  once 
promised  and  vowed  in  my  name  that  I  should  believe  in  and 
love  the  Lord,  and  I  will  bear  them  testimony  that  they  have 
done  their  utmost  to  redeem  the  pledge.  Now,  however,  I 
have  promised  and  vowed  for  myself,  and  to  redeem  the  pledge 
must  henceforth  rest  with  me.  Hitherto  my  faith  has  been 
involved  in  and  sustained  by  theirs,  but  from  theirs  it  must 
now  be  disengaged,  and  manifest  itself  independently. 

First  of  all,  then,  to  you,  dear  parents,  I  this  day  offer  my 
warmest  thanks.  At  an  age  when  I  was  myself  unable  to 
choose,  you  chose  for  me,  and  dedicated  me  to  my  Saviour. 
From  earliest  childhood  that  dedication  has  been  my  guiding 
star  ;  often  has  mine  eye  been  lifted  up  to  gaze  upon  its  bright- 
ness, while  my  heart  felt  unutterably  glad.  Oh  how  can  I 
thank  you  as  I  ought  ?  Twice  have  you  conferred  on  me  the 
gift  of  life  ! 

"  Fight  the  good  fight  of  faith,  lay  hold  on  eternal  life, 
whereunto  thou  art  also  called,  and  hast  professed  a  good  pro- 
fession before  many  witnesses.  I  give  thee  charge  in  the 
sight  of  God,  who  quickeneth  all  things,  and  before  Christ 
Jesus,  who  before  Pontius  Pilate  witnessed  a  good  confession  \ 
that  thou  keep  this  commandment  without  spot,  unrebukable, 
until  the  appearing  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ :  which  in  His 
times  He  shall  show,  who  is  the  blessed  and  only  Potentate, 
the  King  of  kings,  and  Lord  of  lords ;  who  only  hath  im- 
mortality, dweUing  in  the  light  which  no  man  can  approach 
unto ;  whom  no  man  hath  seen,  nor  ca^  see  :  to  whom  be 
honour  and  power  everlasting. "^ 

How  heart-stirring  an  appeal !  Is  it  not  just  the  appeal 
which  the  great  apostle,  had  he  been,  this  day  present  in  the 
sanctuary,  would  have  addressed  to  me?     Yes  :   I,  too,  have 

1  I  Tim,  vi.  12-16. 


7 1 .  Profession  of  Fa itJi.  5  07 

this  day  made  my  profession.  I  have  made  it  before  many 
witnesses — witnesses  visible  and  invisible ;  before  the  congre- 
gation of  Christians  on  earth,  before  the  glorified  champions 
of  the  Saviour  in  heaven,  before  my  Saviour  Himself  Never, 
O  my  soul,  let  me  forget  that  /  have  this  day  done  homage  to 
fesjis  as  my  King,  sworn  to  be  faithful  to  Him — sworn  that  I 
acknowledge  Him  as  Sovereign,  and  that  as  His  subject  I  will 
live  and  die.  We  read  in  Scripture  of  the  captains  who  did 
homage  to  David,  saying,  "  Thine  are  we,  David,  and  on  thy 
side,  thou  son  of  Jesse  :  peace  be  unto  thee,  and  peace  be  to 
thine  helpers  ;  for  thy  God  helpeth  thee."^  Even  so,  O  hea- 
venly Son  of  David,  do  I  now  swear  the  oath  of  allegiance  to 
Thee.  I  will  be  on  Thy  side  so  long  as  I  live.  Let  Thy 
peace  be  mine  ;  for  Thy  God  helpeth  Thee. 

Many  are  my  adversaries,  and  of  great  power.  I  must,  I 
see,  gird  myself  for  battle.  In  Scripture  the  young  are  spe- 
cially summoned  to  the  spiritual  conflict.  "  I  have  written 
unto  you,  young  men,"  says  St  John,  "  because  ye  are  strong, 
and  the  word  of  God  abideth  in  you,  and  ye  have  overcome 
the  wicked  one."  ^  Behold  in  the  ranks  of  the  advancing  foe 
foremost  comes  the  lust  of  the  flesh.  Engrave  then,  O  Spirit 
of  the  Lord,  indelibly  engrave  upon  my  memory  that  I  am  no 
longer  my  own.  Not  only  is  my  soul  my  Master's  ;  my  body 
also  is  His — and  like  a  jewel  which  He  has  committed  to  my 
care,  I  must  keep  it  for  Him  unblemished  and  unstained. 

Nor  am  I  less  apprehensive  of  the  pride  of  the  natural  heart. 
How  at  this  season  of  Hfe  is  all  about  me  calculated  to  fan 
into  a  flame  the  innate  sparks  of  ambition  !  while  I  feel  that 
my  own  heart  within  thirsts  all  too  keenly  for  human  honour 
and  human  praise.  And  yet  the  praise  of  man,  like  the  fumes 
of  sulphur,  will  turn  the  fairest  rose  of  virtue  pale.  Hitherto  I 
have  had  little  experience  of  the  magnets  which  the  world  pre- 
sents, and  by  which  she  so  powerfully  attracts  the  affections. 
Now  my  intercourse  with  it  will  increase  from  day  to  day,  and 
all  that  flatters  the  lust  and  vanity  of  the  flesh  will  be  employed 

1  I  Chron.  xii.  i8.  ^  j  John,  ii.  14. 


5o8  71.  Profession  of  Faith. 

to  tempt  me.  Oh  how  I  wish  still  to  preserve  my  soul  in 
soundness  and  simplicity,  that  amidst  all  enticements,  however 
powerful,  it  may  still  feel  and  own  the  influence  of  the  eternal 
magnet !  The  hymn  written  by  the  pious  Spangenberg  on 
simple-mindedness  stirs  with  a  strange  power  my  inmost 
heart : — 

' '  Holy  grace,  of  graces  rarest, 

Might  and  wisdom's  purest  beam, 
Kindling  love,  of  gems  the  fairest 
Miracle  of  power  supreme. 

Freedom  is  a  fettered  captive, 

Riches  but  an  empty  wind. 
Beauty's  self  a  charm  deceptive, 

Severed  from  a  simple  mind. 

Eye  within,  when  thou  art  single, 

All  the  soul  is  full  of  light ; 
But  if  jarring  aims  we  mingle. 

Mist  and  darkness  dim  thy  sight. 

Simple  heart,  thou  ever  burnest 

For  the  one  chief  good  above. 
To  the  heavenly  loadstone  turnest 

With  entire  and  constant  love." 

Oh,  should  the  magic  veil  which  the  charm  and  glitter  of 
the  world  draw  around  the  eye,  ever  intercept  or  obscure  my 
view  of  the  Saviour,  resound,  sweet  hymn,  in  my  inward  ear, 
and  dissolve  the  spell  ! 

Great  is  the  power  of  temptation,  and  I  am  without  strength, 
for  though  the  spirit  be  willing,  the  flesh  is  weak.  But  weak 
although  I  am,  my  Lord  is  mighty.  The  vine  is  among  the 
feeblest  of  plants,  and  yet,  if  fastened  to  the  pole,  it  borrows 
a  strength  not  its  own,  and  bears  a  load  of  generous  clusters. 
And,  like  the  vine,  let  me  but  lean  upon  my  Master's  cross, 
and  I  will  grow  strong,  and  be  enabled  to  bear  fruit  unto  Him. 
The  venerable  Luther  used  often  to  say,  "  I  would  not  wish  to 
have  my  soul  in  my  own  hands,  for  if  it  were,  Satan  would 
long  ago  have  snatched  it  away,  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  as 
the  vulture  does  the  chick ;  but  from  the  hands  of  God,  to 


'J  I.  Profession  of  Faith.  5 09 

whom  I  have  intrusted  it,  neither  the  devil  nor  any  else  will 
ever  pluck  it  out."  The  blood  was  yet  young  in  his  veins 
when  the  chaste  Joseph  tore  himself  from  the  arms  of  seduc- 
tion, saying,  "  How  shall  I  do  this  great  wickedness,  and  sin 
against  God  ?  "  Daniel,  too,  was  a  youth  when  he  refused  to 
eat  his  portion  of  the  king's  meat,  choosing  rather  to  incur  the 
wrath  of  an  earthly  monarch  than  transgress  the  command- 
ment of  his  God.  At  the  same  early  age,  what  insult,  mockery, 
and  persecution  did  not  David  endure  at  the  court  of  the  un- 
godly Saul?  And  yet  he  avouched,  in  faith,  "  The  Lord  is  my 
light  and  my  salvation,  whom  shall  I  fear  ?  The  Lord  is  the 
strength  of  my  life,  of  whom  shall  I  be  afraid  ?  "  ^  Oh  that  I 
possessed  a  courage  like  his  ! 

Nor  must  I  expect  temptation  to  arise  solely  from  within  my 
breast ;  I  must  also  be  prepared  to  encounter  it  from  without. 
Having  this  day  vowed  to  own  my  Lord  before  all  the  world, 
should  I  not  be  ready  to  suffer  shame  before  all  the  world, 
rather  than  prove  false  to  Him  ?  "  My  son,  if  sinners  entice 
thee,  consent  thou  not,"  ^  is  the  admonition  of  heavenly  wis- 
dom— and  to  me  it  is  addressed.  I  must  muster  fortitude,  in 
the  face  of  mockery,  insult,  and  disgrace,  to  avouch  with  the 
Psalmist,  "  Thy  testimonies  have  I  taken  as  an  heritage  for 
ever;  for  they  are  the  rejoicing  of  my  heart."  ^  That  is 
the  proper  courage  for  youth.  Surely  it  is  courage  of  a  far 
nobler  kind  than  his,  who,  for  the  sake  of  what  men  call 
honour,  is  ready  to  sacrifice  life.  Turn,  dear  Master,  oh  turn 
away  mine  eyes  from  the  garlands  which  the  world  confers, 
and  fix  them  upon  the  crown  of  glory  which  Thou  offerest. 
Those  shall  wither ;  but  this  endures  from  eternity  to  eternity. 

This  is  my  better  birthday  I  On  the  day  of  my  natural  birth, 
as  it  annually  returns,  I  fall  upon  my  knees  and  adore  Him  who 
called  me  to  the  light  of  the  material  world.  I  look  upon  this 
as  the  birthday  of  my  spirit ;  and  on  it  also  I  kneel,  and  adore 
Him  for  opening  to  me  the  door  of  His  glorious  heavenly  king- 
dom. Nor  shall  I  forget  to  keep  it.  I  shall  keep  it  every  time 
1  Psalm  xxvii.  i.  ^  Prov.  i.  10.  3  Psalm  cxix.  iii. 


510  71-  Profession  of  Faith. 

I  approach  the  holy  table,  to  which  I  have  now  obtained  access, 
there  to  partake  of  the  body  and  blood  of  the  Lord,  and  to 
show  forth  His  death.  I  will  avouch  before  His  assembled 
people  that  He  only  is  to  me  the  bread  of  life.  I  will  thank 
Him  for  having  inserted  me,  though  but  to  fill  some  little  chink, 
in  the  great  and  glorious  edifice  of  His  Church — that  Church 
of  which  Himself  is  the  chief  corner-stone.  I  regard  this  as  a 
distinguished  honour.  Humble  may  be  the  place  allotted  to 
me  in  human  society;  but  let  it  fully  satisfy  my  soul  to  be 
assured  that  "  I  shall  dwell  in  the  house  of  the  Lord  for  ever." 
From  time  to  time  in  the  Holy  Supper  I  will  set  up  afresh  a 
memorial  of  my  sins,  that  I  may  never  lose  sight  of  them,  nor 
forget  the  suffering  which  they  brought  upon  my  Saviour.  From 
time  to  time  in  the  Holy  Supper  I  will  assure  myself  anew  that 
mi?ie  were  among  the  sins  for  whose  remission  the  blood  of  the 
New  Testament  was  shed,  and  the  pledge  He  there  vouchsafes 
me  of  their  pardon  shall  be  my  provender  on  the  journey  to 
the  eternal  world.  In  this  way,  O  Lord,  will  I  show  Thy  death 
until  Thou — come  again.  ^  Yes,  come.  Lord  Jesus,  oh  come  ! 
and  by  Thy  help  may  I  be  found  "  blameless  in  the  day"  of 
Thy  appearing.  ^  Grant  me  to  be  faithful,  that  as  I  have  now 
been  enrolled  a  member  of  Thy  Church  on  earth,  I  may  also 
become  a  member  of  Thy  Church  in  heaven.  There,  also, 
shall  we  celebrate  the  Supper ;  and,  oh,  "  blessed  are  they  who 
are  called  to  the  marriage  supper  of  the  Lamb  "  !  ^  Help  me, 
O  Lord,  that  I  may  be  found  among  them. 

My  name  is  entered  on  the  list, 

I've  plighted  hand  and  word, 
To  love  and  live  for  none  but  Christ, 

My  Saviour  and  my  Lord. 
Ye  comrades  in  the  ranks  below. 

And  ye  who  wear  the  crown. 
Witness  the  irrevocable  vow 

That  seals  me  as  His  own. 


I  Cor.  xi.  26.  2  J  Qq^^  i_  8.  3  Rev.  xix. 


72.   The  Holy  Stopper.  511 

And  I  will  prove  that  vow  sincere, 

Whate'er  the  cost  may  be  ; 
Nor  weal  nor  woe,  nor  hope  nor  fear. 

Shall  shake  my  constancy. 
For  Him  I  will  not  love  my  life, 

But  shame  and  death  defy ; 
Undaunted  in  the  hour  of  strife. 

And  meek  in  victory. 

Oh,  happy  soldiers  they  who  serve 

Beneath  Thy  banner,  Lord  ! 
And  light  the  task,  if  Thou  but  nerve 

The  arm,  to  wield  the  sword. 
The  sacred  pledge  in  childhood  given. 

To  such  success  secures  ; 
And  still  they  hear  a  voice  from  heaven 

Repeat,  "The  prize  is  yours," 

And  since  Thy  truth  stands  like  a  rock, 

That  voice  can  might  impart 
To  brave  of  hostile  foes  the  shock — 

Yea,  quell  the  rebel  heart. 
Though  Satan  fiercely  rage  without. 

And  fears  o'erwhelm  within. 
Rings  in  the  air  Faith's  victor  shout, 

' '  Agaifist  the  world  I'll  win." 


72. 

Thine  is  a  richly-furnished  hoard, 

A  nd  royal-like  the  fare  ; 
When  to  regale  Thy  friends,  O  Lord,    . 

Tliou  dost  the  feast  prepare. 

"  Soul,  eat  a7id  drink,"  Thou  say'st ;  atid  if 

We  hear  Thy  voice  divine, 
There  s  in  the  bread  eternal  life. 

And  Spirit  in  the  wine. 

Matt.  xxvi.  26-28.    "And  as  they  were  eating,  Jesus  took 
bread,  and  blessed  it,  and  brake  it,  and  gave  it  to  the 


512  72.   The  Holy  Supper. 

disciples,  and  said,  Take,  eat ;  this  is  my  body.  And  He 
took  the  cup,  and  gave  thanks,  and  gave  it  to  them, 
saying.  Drink  ye  all  of  it ;  for  this  is  my  blood  of  the 
new  testament,  which  is  shed  for  many  for  the  remission 
of  sins." 

I  DESIRE,  in  the  sincerity  of  my  heart,  to  draw  near,  not 
unworthily,  to  the  table  of  my  Lord.  Alas  !  however,  I 
am  weak,  and  of  myself  unequal  to  such  a  duty.  I  turn,  there- 
fore, to  Thee,  O  Holy  Spirit  !  It  is  Thy  office  to  enlighten 
the  darkness  of  the  human  soul.  Come  to  my  aid,  vouchsafe 
Thy  light,  and  enable  me  to  know  myself  I  am  about  to  show 
forth  the  Lord's  death  before  the  Church ;  and  there  can  be 
no  better  preparation  for  doing  so  than  that  I  should  once 
^  more  fully  reahse  what  the  Lord  is  to  me,  and  what  I  should 
be  to  Him. 

I  confess  unto  Thee,  O  holy  God,  that  I  am  a  poor  hell- 
deserving  sinner,  whose  words  and  works,  whose  heart  and 
walk,  have  merited  a  thousandfold  Thy  righteous  displeasure.  I 
confess  that  in  my  inmost  soul  there  dwells  a  criminal  aversion 
to  thy  commandments,  and  an  ever-recurring  reluctance  to  do 
Thy  holy  will  \  that  my  flesh  is  ever  prone  to  seek,  with  all 
eagerness,  the  good  things  of  earth  in  preference  to  those  that 
are  well-pleasing  in  Thy  sight ;  and  that  every  day  whole  hours 
elapse  in  which  I  never  once  remember  that  Thou  art  my 
Master,  and  that  I  am  Thy  servant.  I  confess  before  Thee,  O 
holy  God,  without  excuse  or  palliation,  that  I  am  yet  far  from 
loving  my  fellow-men  with  pure  and  self-denying  affection; 
that  I  am  more  ready  to  look  to  my  own  advantage  than  to 
study  my  neighbour's  good ;  that  I  am  fonder  of  being  minis- 
tered unto  by  others  than  of  ministering  unto  them.  And  as 
for  Thee,  O  Jesus,  whom  I  purpose  this  day  once  more  to  con- 
fess before  Thy  people,  alas  !  how  often,  by  word  and  deed,  have 
I  not  shamefully  denied  Thee  ?  I  am  about  to  celebrate  Thy 
death — that  death  to  which  Thou  wert  brought  by  generous 
love  to  the  sheep  of  Thy  flock.     And  yet  how  painful  I  feel 


^2.   The  Holy  Supper.  5 1 3 

self-denial  to  be,  even  when  all  I  am  called  upon  to  surrender 
for  my  brethren  is  some  paltry  fragment  of  my  worldly  sub- 
stance !  Behold,  I  conceal  from  Thee  no  part  of  my  guilt,  that 
no  part  of  it  may  remain  unforgiven.  I  will  cover  none  of 
my  stains,  that  Thou,  O  gracious  God,  mayst  wash  them  all 
away.  "  Purge  me  with  hyssop,  and  I  shall  be  clean :  wash 
me,  and  I  shall  be  whiter  than  snow.  Make  me  to  hear  joy 
and  gladness,  that  the  bones  which  Thou  hast  broken  may 
rejoice."  ^ 

Lord,  who  is  worthy  to  dwell  in  Thy  temple  ?  In  the  ■ 
counsels  of  Thy  grace,  this  honour  is  assigned  to  him  only 
who  knows  how  infinitely  it  exceeds  his  deserts.  Dear  Master, 
in  the  days  of  Thy  flesh  Thou  wert  the  friend  of  publicans 
and  sinners,  but  didst  reject  those  who  were  righteous  in  their 
own  eyes.  Thou  art  Thyself  the  Shepherd  who  left  the  ninety- 
and-nine  sheep  in  the  wilderness  to  seek  the  one  that  was  lost. 
And  even  now,  on  a  day  like  this,  all  Thou  requirest]  of  us  is 
just  to  be  sincere  before  Thee.  "  Blessed,"  says  the  holy 
Psalmist,  "  is  the  man  in  whose  spirit  there  is  no  guile."  ^  I 
will  therefore  calm  my  anxious  soul  in  Thy  presence,  provided 
Thy  Spirit  bear  me  witness  that  I  appear  at  Thy  table  without 
guile.  Whom  dost  Thou  call  to  this  feast  ?  Not  the  rich  and 
strong,  but  the  sick  and  needy.  "Come  unto  me,"  Thou 
sayest,  ''  all  ye  that  labour  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will 
give  thee  rest."  These  are  the  terms  in  which,  from  time  to 
time,  Thou  repeatest  the  invitation  to  Thy  table,  and  only  on 
such  occasions  do  I  fully  comprehend  their  meaning. 

Dost  Thou  require  a  token  that  my  penitential  confessions 
proceed  from  the  heart  ?  Alas  !  full  well  I  know  that  the 
tears  I  shed  are  not  enough.  A  man  never  truly  and  at  heart 
repents  of  his  sin  until  he  likewise  pai-ts  with  it,  and  desires  to 
let  it  go.  There  is,  I  am  aware,  a  false  repentance  that  weeps, 
but  only  to  be  exempted  from  the  penalties,  in  order  that  it 
may  keep  a  firmer  hold  of  the  sin.  And  many,  I  am  con- 
vinced, if  called  upon  to  part  with  their  bosom  sin  at  the 
1  Psalm  li.  7,  8.  2  Psalm  xxxii.  2. 

2  K 


514  72-   TJie  Holy  Slipper. 

threshold,  would  even  tremble  to  enter  heaven.  Keep  me 
from  such  hypocrisy,  O  my  God  !  And  yet,  alas  !  few  pro- 
bably are  wholly  free  from  it ;  for,  otherwise,  how  were  it 
possible  for  days  like  the  present  to  produce  so  immate- 
rial a  change  in  the  customary  routine  of  life  ?  Ah  !  were 
the  tears  which  are  wept  at  the  cross  of  Jesus  not  merely  tears 
of  a  weak  heart  mourning  over  guilt,  because  guilt  entails  pun- 
ishment;  but  were  they,  on  the  contrary,  tears  of  a  strong 
heart,  hating  sin  because  siji  is  hateful  to  God, — then,  methinks, 
they  would  infallibly  operate  like  a  corrosive  acid ;  and  al- 
though they  might  not  at  once  eat  away  all  the  proud  flesh  from 
the  heart,  surely  they  would  at  least  separate  between  good 
and  evil  in  the  walk  and  conversation  ;  surely  they  would  cut 
furrows  in  the  life  which  would  be  visible  to  the  eye.  Among 
the  many  delusions  from  which  I  need  protection,  keep  me,  I 
pray,  from  that  of  tears  !  Tears  are,  indeed,  a  precious  fluid. 
Silent  is  their  course  as  they  trickle  down  the  cheek,  and  yet 
they  can  cry  to  heaven  more  loudly  than  any  prayer.  Yes, 
great  in  the  sight  of  God  is  the  worth  of  genuine  tears. 
Here,  upon  earth,  we  wipe  them  away,  and  to  all  appearance 
they  are  lost.  But  they  are  not  lost.  An  angel  collects  the 
drops,  and  bears  them  into  the  presence  of  God.^  This, 
indeed,  is  only  true  oi  gemiine  tears.  And  in  every  case  where 
these  are  shed,  there  also  the  heart  has  become  a  fountain  well- 
ing forth  other  waters — waters  which  moisten  and  fertilise  the 
soil,  so  that  it  produces  fruit. 

Zaccheus  shall  be  my  pattern.  He  presented  himself  to 
the  Saviour  and  said  :  "  Behold,  Lord,  the  half  of  my  goods 
I  give  to  the  poor;  and  if  I  have  taken  anything  from  any 
man  by  false  accusation,  I  restore  him  fourfold."  ^  Here, 
then,'  by  a  decisive  test,  we  recognise  a  soul  really  prepared 
to  part  with  sin.  In  the  same  way  I  look  around  me  to  see 
how  my  errors  may  be  repaired  ;  and  wherever  this  is  possible, 
it  shall  be  done.  Have  I  neglected  those  holy  ordinances 
and  means  of  grace,  which  Thou,  O  Saviour,  hast  conferred 

1  Psalm,  Ivi.  8.  Luke,  xix.  8. 


72.   The  Holy  Stopper.  515 

upon  us ;  this  very  day  will  I  begin  a  new  course,  resign  my- 
self afresh,  in  the  exercise  of  calm  meditation  and  the  study 
of  sacred  Scripture,  to  the  discipline  of  Thy  Spirit,  and 
cultivate  closer  fellowship  with  the  children  of  God,  that  I 
may  thence  derive  increase  of  strength.  Have  I  been  in- 
attentive to  my  business ;  I  will  study  to  make  up  for  past 
omissions.  Have  I  dispensed  my  charities  to  the  poor  with 
niggard  hand  \  henceforward  I  will  shrink  from  no  sacrifice 
in  order  to  make  compensation.  Have  I  failed  in  affection 
to  my  relatives;  I  will  confess  my  fault;  for  he  who  wants 
fortitude  to  humble  himself  before  men,  never  truly  humbles 
himself  before  Thee.  The  little  good  I  have  done  has  been 
done  in  such  a  way  that  the  left  hand  knew  too  well  what  the 
right  was  doing.  But  most  pleasing  in  Thy  sight  are  the 
charitable  actions  which  are  performed  in  silence,  like  oil  when 
it  is  poured  forth ;  and  the  approval  of  the  eye  which  seeth  in 
secret  should  be  more  to  me  than  the  applause  of  all  mankind. 
I  know,  however,  that  these  vows  will  prove  just  as  un- 
steadfast  as  those  which  have  preceded  them ;  and,  alas  !  do 
what  I  can,  I  cannot  make  good  the  past.  So  long  as  the 
root  is  not  thoroughly  sanctified,  how  can  the  fruit  be  good 
and  holy?  Hence  it  is  that  I  thirst  for  grace,  iox  free  grace, 
for  the  pledge  of  Thy  forgiveness.  During  Thy  sojourn  upon 
earth  Thou  didst  not  disdain  to  be  called  the  friend  of  publi- 
cans and  sinners.  Nor  even  now  dost  Thou  refuse  to  enter 
the  abode  of  a  Zaccheus.  To  all  like  him  Thou  tenderest  a 
pledge  that,  in  spite  of  their  sins,  Thou  hast  not  cast  them  off. 
Nay,  as  only  in  fellowship  with  Thee  their  souls  can  be  healed, 
Thou  unitest  Thyself  to  them  in  spiritual  wedlock.  A  holy 
thrill  penetrates  my  soul  when  I  receive  Thy  body  and  blood, 
and  reflect  who  they  are  with  whom  Thou  boldest  such  com- 
munion. And  yet,  O  Lord,  this  is  still  Thy  wondrous  way, 
to  humble  and  prostrate  on  the  ground  before  Thou  dost 
exalt.  Thy  language  is,  "I  who  dwell  in  the  high  and  holy 
place,  am  with  him  that  is  of  a  contrite  and  humble  spirit."  ^ 

1  Isa.  Ivii.  15. 


5i6  72.   The  Holy  Slipper. 

My  heart,  already  melted  by  a  sense  of  the  greatness  of  my 
sin,  is  even  more  so  when  I  think  of  the  greatness  of  Thy 
mercy.  "  Rend  your  hearts,  and  not  your  garments,"  ex- 
claims Thy  prophet ;  "  and  turn  unto  the  Lord  your  God."  ^ 
My  heart  is  rent ;  it  has  become  soft  and  yielding ;  take  and 
mould  it  according  to  Thy  will. 

"As  often  as  ye  eat  this  bread,  and  drink  this  cup,  ye 
do  show  the  Lord's  death  till  He  come."^  So  writes  the 
apostle;  and,  in  truth,  O  Lord,  partaking  Thy  body  and 
blood  in  the  Supper  is  a  sort  of  compensation  for  Thine 
absence — an  earnest  to  sustain  my  hopes  until  the  time  when 
I  shall  possess  Thyself.  Thou  enterest  into  my  soul  now 
mollified,  and  wilt  this  hour  fill  the  spiritual  mouth  of  Thy 
disciple  as  surely  as  he  opens  it  and  hungers  after  Thee. 
"  Thy  flesh  is  meat  indeed,  and  Thy  blood  is  drink  indeed," 
as  Thou  hast  said ;  and  although  at  all  times  I  am  conscious 
of  Thy  presence,  I  yet  thank  Thee  that  in  this  ordinance 
Thou  comest  in  a  visible  way  to  help  my  faith,  and  givest 
me  assurance  that  Thou  boldest  communion  with  my  soul, 
and  art  joined  to  me  in  spiritual  wedlock.  What  the  bread  is 
to  my  body,  a  nutritious  food  ;  what  the  wine  is  to  my  spirits, 
an  exhilarating  juice, — that,  O  my  God  and  Saviour,  are  Thy 
body  and  blood  to  my  soul ;  they  mysteriously  impart  to  it 
nutriment  and  life.  Yes,  of  a  truth,  never  am  I  more  sen- 
sible of  the  magnitude  either  of  my  own  guilt  or  of  Thy  con- 
descension, than  when  I  leave  Thy  table,  bearing  with  me 
the  consciousness  of  being  knit  afresh  as  a  member  to  Thy 
body. 

I  can  well  conceive  how  much  more  elevating  this  solemnity 
would  prove,  could  it  be  said  of  all  who  engage  in  it  that  they 
know  what  they  do;  and  if  that  holy  awe  with  which  the 
thought  of  Thy  condescension  inspires  the  hearts  of  some, 
penetrated  the  hearts  of  all,  and  all  hearts  in  an  equal  degree. 
On  the  other  hand,  however,  it  also  puts  me  to  shame  when 
I  see  that  Thou  dost  not  reject  even  those  of  whom  that  can- 
1  Joel,  ii,  13.  ^  I  Cor.  xi.  26, 


72.   The  Holy  Slipper.  517 

not  just  be  said.  Only  let  the  heart  be  sincerely  yearning 
after  Thee,  only  let  the  soul  be  seeking  comfort,  although,  per- 
chance, with  ill-defined  notions  of  Thee — a  personal  Lord  and 
Saviour — Thou  dost  not  withhold  Thyself  from  it.  And  by  so 
doing,  oh  what  an  example  dost  Thou  set  me  not  to  scorn  even 
the  weak  members  of  Thy  Church,  but  on  a  day  like  this,  with- 
out comparing  or  finding  fault,  to  acknowledge  myself  one  with 
all  who  desire  publicly  to  show  forth  Thy  death !  There, 
beside  a  veteran  grown  grey  in  the  battles  of  the  faith,  sits 
one  who  appears  (so  far,  at  least,  as  is  known  to  me)  a  mere 
child  of  the  world;  beside  the  youth  of  quality,  some  poor 
and  aged  mother;  beside  the  man  of  learning,  an  untutored 
maid ;  and  yet  to  each  of  all  these  souls  Thou  drawest  near, 
so  truly  and  so  closely  that  their  spiritual  mouth  tastes  the 
savour  of  Thy  presence.  This  thought  has  often  deeply 
humbled  my  carnal  pride  and  love  of  censure ;  for  how  lightly 
do  I  presume  to  deny  the  claim  of  many  to  fellowship  with 
Thee,  while  yet  it  is  evident  that  often  where  we  least  suspect 
it  there  is  a  secret  yearning  of  the  soul  after  Thee,  and  unalter- 
ably steadfast  is  the  word  Thou  hast  spoken  :  "  He  who  com- 
eth  unto  me,  I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out." 

And  how  dare  I,  the  sinful  fellow-servant,  take  upon  me  to 
cast  out  any  who  have  not  been  cast  out  by  Thee,  the  Master? 
On  this  day  I  will  learn  to  overlook  the  infirmities  and  forgive 
the  faults  of  my  brethren,  especially  those  of  my  nearest  con- 
nections. Thy  Word  declares  that  no  oblation  is  acceptable 
so  long  as  the  heart  which  supplicates  forgiveness  of  Thee  has 
not  itself  learned  to  forgive  others.  When,  therefore,  I  leave 
Thy  table,  refreshed  by  Thy  love,  I  will  meet  them  all  with 
a  new  heart.  They  are  not  merely  my  brethren,  they  are  also 
Thine.  Oh,  were  there  no  other  ground  for  loving  and  respect- 
ing them,  let  me  love  and  respect  them  for  this,  that  they  have 
been  nourished  and  refreshed  by  Thy  body  and  blood. 

Give  me  grace,  O  my  God,  to  renew  my  covenant  with 
Thee ;  and  although  I  should  again  stumble,  I  will  learn  by 
degrees  to  walk  with  a  firmer  step.     Most  deeply  do  I  feel 


5 1 8  72.  The  Holy  Supper. 

how,  more  than  all  else,  the  thought  of  Thy  condescension 
towards  me,  in  spite  of  my  many  pollutions,  softens  my  heart, 
and  fits  it  for  receiving  Thee.  On  that  account  I  go  boldly 
to  Thy  table,  in  the  confidence  that  I  will  find  manna  for  my 
heart,  that  Thou  art  pleased  to  see  me,  wilt  make  me  wel- 
come there,  and  that  thus  my  hope  shall  not  be  put  to  shame. 
Herein  vouchsafe,  O  gracious  God,  to  help  me,  for  Thy 
boundless  compassion's  sake  !     Amen. 


Whom  dost  Thou,  dear  Redeemer,  call 

To  Thy  sweet  feast  of  grace, 
Admit  into  the  banquet-hall, 

And  at  Thy  table  place  ? 
'Tis  not  the  proud,  the  rich,  the  strong. 

With  earthly  good  content, 
But  sick  and  weary  souls,  who  long 

For  nobler  nourishment. 

Ah  !  didst  Thou  for  the  pure  alone 

The  royal  feast  prepare, 
Small  were  the  hope  for  such  a  one 

As  me  to  find  a  share. 
But  since  the  bhnd,  the  sick,  the  lame. 

Obtain  admission  free, 
I,  too,  will  venture,  in  God's  name, 

To  join  the  company. 

Yet  who  would  think  the  guests  he  sees 

Around  that  table  placed. 
Were  victims  all  of  foul  disease. 

With  ghastly  wounds  defaced  ? 
For,  lo  !  their  generous  Host  provides, 

From  His  full  store  on  high. 
For  each  a  shining  robe,  that  hides 

All  his  deformity. 

And  I,  in  that  bright  garment  dressed. 

Will  to  the  table  go ; 
For,  Lord,  Thou  wilt  not  scorn  a  guest 

Because  his  rank  is  low. 
When  others  coldly  close  the  door. 

Wide  flies  the  gate  of  grace ; 
And  he  who  was  the  least  before, 

Obtains  the  highest  place. 


7  3  •   Oictset  in  L  ife.  519 

73. 

©utstt  in  ILtfe. 

Forth  o'er  the  wide  and  stormy  Jlood 

My  bark  now  steers  its  way. 
Fades  i7i  the  mist  my  sirens  abode. 

Now  fades  the  upland  grey. 
Hatmts  o/tjzy  childhood/  far  away  from  you, 
Wide  o'er  the  spacious  main  I  cast  an  anxious  view. 

But  see,  on  ocean  s  farthest  brim. 

Yon  la?id  so  fair  and  bright, 
Emerging  in  the  distance  dim, 

Salutes  my  ravished  sight. 
Speed  well  my  bark  !  and  on  that  radiant  shore, 
Partings  and  seas  and  storms  we'll  fear  no  tnore. 

Psalm  cxix.  9.  "  Wherewithal  shall  a  young  man  cleanse 
his  way?  By  taking  heed  thereto  according  to  Thy 
word." 

AT  last  my  little  bark  must  leave  the  quiet  bay  in  which  it 
has  hitherto  found  shelter,  and  venture  forth  into  the 
mighty  waters.  Oh,  who  will  help  me  to  shun  the  cliffs  and 
weather  the  storms,  that  I  may  reach  in  safety  the  destined 
haven  ? 

I  feel  the  paramount  necessity  of  knowing,  even  in  regard 
to  my  temporal  calling,  that  I  am  walking  in  the  ways  of  the 
Lord.  Had  I  the  smallest  ground  to  suspect  that  the  line  of 
life  on  which  I  am  about  to  enter  had  been  selected  for  me, 
by  either  my  own  or  my  parents'  vanity,  my  courage  would 
fail  at  the  very  outset.  But  with  the  conviction  that  the  Lord 
Himself  has  prescribed  to  me  the  way,  I  shall  walk  as  with 
ahold  of  His  hand.  My  daily  work  ought  to  be  to  me  an 
act  of  worship,  and  my  place  of  business  a  temple.     Stablish, 


520  73*  Outset  in  Life. 

therefore,  O  God,  my  fickle  heart,  that  I  may  no  more  look 
aside  to  the  right  hand  or  the  left,  and  no  more  court  either 
the  pleasures  or  applause  of  the  world,  but  that  in  all  I  do, 
not  excepting  my  temporal  avocation,  I  may  fix  an  unaverted 
gaze  on  Thee  alone.  When  he  wishes  to  take  a  good  aim, 
the  marksman  closes  one  eye  in  order  to  collect  the  whole 
power  of  vision  into  the  other.  Make  my  eye  single,  that  in 
all  my  pursuits  Thy  approbation  may  be  my  only  aim.  Thy 
approbation  alone  confers  true  greatness.  The  praise  of  his 
fellows  can,  no  more  than  his  own  shadow,  make  a  man  either 
greater  or  less.  May  the  testimony  of  a  good  conscience  in 
the  sight  of  God  reward  me  every  evening  for  the  toils  of  the 
day.  By  dint  of  labour  I  must  dig  the  blessing  from  the 
earth  below ;  but  no  less  must  my  prayers  draw  it  down  from 
heaven  above.  Oh  let  me  never  lose  sight  of  that  slender 
and  mysterious  thread,  which  extends  from  earth  to  heaven, 
and  connects  every  work  of  man  with  the  Divine  hand,  that 
so  I  may  continually  remember  that  more  depends  upon  Thy 
blessings  than  upon  any  industry  and  skill  of  my  own,  or  all 
the  favour  and  assistance  of  others. 

Wild  and  tumultuous  is  the  throng  in  which  I  now  go  forth 
to  mingle.  But  in  that  throng,  angels  of  Thine  walk  about  in 
disguise.  Oh  that  it  may  be  my  lot  to  meet  with  some  of 
them  !  Lord,  I  beseech  Thee,  from  my  inmost  heart,  that  on 
my  way  through  life  I  may  not  journey  alone.  Nevertheless, 
should  Thy  wisdom  deem  it  better  for  me  to  want  a  friend, 
and  live  solitary  on  earth,  then  open  to  me  all  the  more  freely 
and  fully  the  invisible  treasures  of  Thy  friendship ;  and,  in 
the  strength  I  derive  from  secret  fellowship  with  Thyself,  teach 
me  to  walk  to  Thy  praise  before  the  children  of  the  world. 
"  Evil  communications  corrupt  good  manners,"  ^  is  a  precept 
of  Gentile  wisdom.  To  the  danger  of  which  it  warns  let  me 
never  be  insensible.  In  journeying  through  the  world,  we 
walk  upon  ice  and  in  the  midst  of  thorns.  Give  me  a  dis- 
criminating mind,  that  I  may  discover  of  what  spirit  they  are 
1  I  Cor.  XV.  33. 


'J I.  Outset  in  Life.  521 

with  whom  I  shall  have  to  do.  It  is  impossible  to  pass  safely 
through  life  without  possessing  somewhat  of  the  wisdom  of  the 
serpent,  as  well  as  of  the  simplicity  of  the  dove.  Thou  ex- 
pressly requirest  of  the  children  of  light  to  be  not  merely  wise, 
but  prudent}  like  the  children  of  this  world.  We  are  to  "  walk 
circumspectly."  2 

Look  well  before  thee  and  behind, 
Fickle  and  false  are  men  by  kind  ; 
As  nettles  burn  and  thistles  sting, 
The  heart  is  a  deceitful  thing. 

This  is  an  admonition  which  I  need  to  take  home.  I  am  too 
lavish  of  my  confidence.  It  is  an  easy  matter  to  give  the 
hand ;  but  the  hand  once  given,  cannot  so  quickly  be  with- 
drawn. 

Beyond  all  doubt,  however,  the  worst  of  our  enemies  are 
those  we  carry  about  with  us  in  our  own  hearts.  Adam  fell  in 
Paradise,  Lucifer  in  heaven,  while  Lot  continued  righteous 
among  the  inhabitants  of  Sodom.  Indifference  to  little  sins 
and  mistakes — the  self-flattering  voice  of  the  heart,  ever  ready 
to  sing  its  lullaby  the  moment  conscience  is  roused — the 
subtle  question  of  the  serpent,  "  Hath  God,  indeed,  said  ?  " — 
these  are  unquestionably  the  adversaries  we  have  most  to  fear. 
There  never  was  a  fire  but  it  began  with  smoke.  I  beseech 
Thee,  therefore,  dear  Master,  to  give  me  a  sensitive  con- 
science, that  I  may  take  alarm  at  even  small  sins.  Oh  !  it  is 
not  merely  great  transgressions  that  can  bring  a  man  to  ruin. 
Little  and  imperceptible  ones  are,  perhaps,  even  more  deadly  \ 
according  to  the  beautiful  figure  of  Tauler,  who  says :  "  The 
stag,  when  attacked,  tosses  from  him  the  great  dogs,  and 
dashes  them  to  pieces  upon  the  trees ;  but  the  little  ones  seize 
him  below,  and  tear  the  entrails  from  his  belly."  Let  me 
never  forget  that,  among  all  the  avocations  allotted  to  me,  the 
principal  is  to  be  Thy  champion  and  soldier.  To  this,  accord- 
ingly, I  must  give  my  chief  attention;  for  ''no  man  that 
warreth,"  saith  the  apostle,  "  entangleth  himself  with  the 
1  Luke,  xvi.  8,  <l>poi/i>ws.  2  £ph.  v.  15. 


522  73-  Outset  in  Life. 

affairs  of  this  life,  that  he  may  please  Him  who  hath  chosen 
him  to  be  a  soldier."  ^  My  hands  and  feet  shall  perform  my 
daily  task,  but  my  heart  shall  soar  above  it.  The  thorns  that 
choked  the  seed  of  the  word  were  the  cares  of  this  worldP'  And 
true  it  is  that  worldly  cares  can  so  wind  about  a  man  as  to  make 
it  impossible  for  him  to  extricate  himself;  and  if  once  they  wax 
rank  and  multiply,  all  hope  of  the  growth  and  increase  of  the 
seed  is  for  ever  gone.  The  stalk  may  still  stand,  and  the  ears 
appear,  but  for  the  ripe  grain  in  the  ears  we  look  in  vain.  Men 
begin  with  seeking  to  divert  the  mind,  and  they  end  with 
subverting  it.  Chase  away  the  fowls  that  devour  the  corn.^ 
The  fowls  are  amusements ;  and  they  come  with  such  haste, 
and  so  take  us  by  surprise,  that,  ere  we  are  aware,  many  a 
precious  seed  is  snatched  from  the  heart. 

And  alas  that  the  weapons  Thou  thyself  puttest  into  our 
hands,  even  the  precious  means  of  grace,  should,  be  allowed 
to  rust  disused  !  For  me,  should  the  time  ever  come  when  I 
cannot  take  up  the  sentiment  of  David  and  say,  with  truth, 
"  The  law  of  Thy  mouth  is  better  to  me  than  thousands  of 
gold  and  silver ; "  ^  should  the  time  ever  come  when,  ex- 
hausted with  the  labours  of  the  day,  I  feel  no  desire  to  drink 
in  fresh  strength  from  the  fountain  of  Thy  Word, — good  reason 
shall  I  have  for  beginning  to  tremble  at  the  state  of  my  heart. 
Thy  holy  Word  is  the  magnet  by  whose  attraction  the  mind 
ought  again  to  be  raised  aloft,  when  carnal  sloth  weighs  it 
down  to  the  earth.  A  little  text  daily  taken  from  the  Word, 
and  laid  up  in  the  heart,  is  like  a  corn  of  spice.  Touch  and 
rub  it,  and  every  time  it  will  emit  new  strength.  Nor  is  the 
right  observance  of  the  Sabbath  less  a  spiritual  weapon,  which 
we  do  not  sufficiently  use.  The  Christian  who  has  to  toil  the 
live-long  week,  should  esteem  it  one  of  the  high  privileges 
vouchsafed  him  by  his  Lord  to  be  allowed  to  rest  on  the 
Sabbath,  and  live  that  day  to  his  Lord  alone.  On  the  Sabbath, 
therefore,  I  will  endeavour  to  disencumber  my  heart  of  the  dis- 
quietudes of  the  bypast  week,  and  to  recruit  it  with  God  and 

1  2  Tim.  ii.  4.  ^  Matt.  xiii.  22.         ^  Matt.  xiii.  4.  ^  Ps.  cxix.  72. 


73-  Outset  in  Life.  523 

His  Word.  I  will  attend  the  preaching  of  the  Word  in  the 
sanctuary,  and  will  not  there  seek  after  oratory  and  eloquence, 
but  content  myself  with  the  simple  Gospel,  whenever  delivered 
genuine  and  pure.  Whether  the  pipe  that  conveys  it  be  of 
gold  or  lead,  the  stream  of  Thy  Word  is  still  mingled  with 
water  of  life.  It  is  right,  too,  that  the  body  and  the  weary 
bones  should  rejoice  upon  the  Sabbath;  but  this,  before  Thy 
face,  dear  Master,  not  hehiiid  Thy  back.  The  joy  we  taste 
before  Thy  face,  and  no  other,  leaves  after  it  a  sweet  and 
lasting  relish.  Besides,  the  Sabbath  is  the  proper  day  for 
performing  many  an  act  of  charity,  for  which  no  opportunity 
could  be  found  during  the  week ;  and  in  works  like  these,  the 
spirit  often  experiences  a  rest  so  delightful  that  the  body 
sympathetically  enjoys  a  share.  Nor  shall  I  count  it  a  small 
thing,  dear  Master,  that  on  Sabbath  Thou  often  presidest  at 
Thy  table,  inviting  hungry  souls  to  come  and  be  nourished 
with  Thy  body  and  blood.  If  denied  the  happiness  of  meet- 
ing with  many  of  Thy  children  in  the  wicked  world,  I  will  all 
the  oftener  frequent  Thy  own  company,  and  imbibe  strength 
from  fellowship  with  Thyself. 

On  no  day  of  the  week,  however,  after  having  given  twelve 
hours  to  labour,  will  I  consent  to  be  defrauded  of  the  privilege 
of  dedicating  at  least  one  evening  hour  exclusively  to  Thee. 
Nor  will  I  ever  desist  from  prayer  because  at  the  time  I  may 
feel  no  pleasure  in  it.  No.  For  that  very  reason  will  I  press 
all  the  more  closely  to  Thy  heart,  until  my  own  again  has 
caught  the  warmth.  I  consider  it  one  of  the  most  dangerous 
of  Satan's  temptations,  when  he  tries  to  persuade  a  man,  who 
can  only  pray  feebly,  rather  not  to  pray  at  all.  Whereas,  O 
gracious  Master,  Thou  regardest  the  heart  alone,  and  if  we 
have  but  the  will  to  pray  aright,  even  that  will  itself  is  an 
acceptable  prayer  to  Thee.  What  should  we  do  with  the  coal, 
in  which  only  a  faint  and  glimmering  spark  still  lives,  but  bring 
it  into  Thy  presence,  that  with  the  breath  of  Thy  mouth  Thou 
mayst  blow  the  spark  into  a  flame  ?  Hast  Thou  not  promised 
not  to  quench  the  smoking  flax,  but,  in  answer  to  earnest 


524  7Z.  Outset  m  Life. 

prayer,  to  pour  oil  upon  it,  and  make  it  blaze  afresh  ?  And 
even  though  the  utmost  we  can  do  is  but  to  come  before  Thee, 
and  show,  with  sorrow,  the  coldness  of  our  hearts,  saying, 
*'Lord,  if  it  be  Thy  will  that  I  should  be  as  at  this  moment  I 
am,  even  so  let  Thy  will  be  done ; "  though  this  be  all  we  can 
do,  even  this  shall  not  be  done  in  vain.  Never  does  man  pre- 
sent himself  before  the  uncreated  Light,  with  a  heart  humble, 
and  weaned  of  all  self-will,  without  at  least  reaping  one  advan- 
tage. He  becomes  more  assimilated  to  that  Light ;  and  it  is 
so  true,  that 

The  noblest  prayer  a  suppliant  ever  pours, 
Is  to  resemble  that  which  he  adores. 

Well  do  I  know  the  hypocrisy  of  my  own  heart.  Often  and 
bitterly  does  it  complain  of  wanting  strength,  and  yet,  in  seek- 
ing to  obtain  it,  builds  its  only  hopes  on  such  things  as  change 
of  outward  position,  and  all  manner  of  extraordinary  helps  and 
expedients,  whereas  there  can  be  no  doubt  that,  in  the  very 
commonest  means  of  grace.  Thou  hast  laid  up  an  inexhaustible 
treasure  of  counsel,  strength,  and  consolation,  for  those  who 
truly  desire  them.  Man,  however,  is  like  the  patient  in  a 
fever,  who,  as  if  the  heat  were  without  him  and  not  within, 
fancies  all  would  be  well  could  he  but  change  his  clothes  or 
get  into  another  bed.  Or  he  is  Hke  one  who  goes  a-searching 
on  every  side  for  the  philosopher's  stone,  with  which  to  manu- 
facture gold,  and  yet,  at  the  very  moment,  the  mine  is  beneath 
his  feet,  and  all  he  v/ants  is  industry  to  use  the  spade.  With- 
out industry,  however,  as  we  cannot  obtain  food  for  the 
body,  so  just  as  little  can  we  obtain  food  for  the  soul.  In 
all  cases,  by  Divine  appointment,  bread  must  be  paid  for 
by  the  sweat  of  the  brow ;  and  he  who  would  enjoy  the  fire, 
must  first  endure  the  smoke.  Lord,  Thou  art  "a  strength 
to  the  poor,  a  strength  to  the  needy  in  his  distress."  ^  Fulfil 
to  me  Thy  promise,  and  may  I  feel  in  my  warfare  that  I  war 
in  Thy  strength.  I  desire  to  be  strong  in  no  other  strength 
but  Thine ;  and  if  Thou  take  sword  and  buckler  to  fight  my 
1  Isa.  XXV.  4. 


J  I.  Outset  in  Life.  525 

battles,  who  is  he  that  shall  prevail  against  me?  My  loins  I 
will  gird  about  with  sincerity  and  truth,  that  I  may  learn  to 
walk  with  certain  step.  I  will  put  on  the  breastplate  of  right- 
eousness, of  that  righteousness  which  is  of  grace  and  not  of 
works,  that  I  may  be  of  good  courage,  even  in  the  evil  day. 
I  will  cover  my  head  with  the  helmet  of  salvation,  that  salva- 
tion which  has  been  purchased  for  me,  but  with  no  endeavours 
of  mine,  and  is  reserved  in  heaven.  I  will  hold  before  me  the 
shield  of  faith,  which  quenches  all  the  fiery  darts  of  the  wicked 
one,  and  my  right  hand  shall  wield  the  sword  of  the  Spirit,  the 
Word  of  God,  which  strikes  even  Satan  dumb. 

Many  are  my  adversaries,  but  my  armour  is  complete  j 
arduous  is  the  conflict,  but  abundant  the  strength ;  hard  the 
toil,  but  glorious  the  reward.  O  Thou,  who,  by  Thy  mighty 
power,  wert  able  to  keep  a  Lot  righteous  even  among  the 
citizens  of  Sodom,  a  Joseph  chaste  in  the  house  of  Potiphar, 
and  a  David  pious  at  the  court  of  Saul,  forsake  not  me.  Thy 
child,  when  walking  through  the  great  and  tumultuous  crowd 
who  know  not  Thy  name.  Wide  is  the  sea  through  which  I 
have  to  steer  my  course,  and  high  its  swehing  waves ;  but 
grace  is  the  breeze  that  fills  the  sails,  my  compass  is  faith,  and 
my  pilot,  Christ.     Of  whom  shall  I  be  afraid  ? 

The  march  is  full  of  toil  and  pain 

Through  this  terrestrial  hfe, 
And  he  who  hopes  the  goal  to  gain 

Must  boldly  brook  the  strife. 
The  foe  who  meets  us  face  to  face 

May  safely  be  defied, 
But  Satan  treads  with  stealthy  pace, 

And  skulks  on  every  side. 

Hence  must  we  hardness  still  endure, 

And  watch  both  day  and  night. 
Nor  ever  dream  we  are  secure 

Though  danger's  out  of  sight. 
For,  be  the  mournful  truth  confessed, 

We  our  ownselves  betray, 
And  hosts  in  ambush  in  the  breast 

The  foe's  commands  obey. 


526  74-  Marriage. 


Ah  me  !  it  is  but  hopeless  work 

To  keep  the  citadel, 
When  traitor  friends  within  it  lurk, 

And  foes  without  assail. 
In  such  a  pass,  nor  bolt  nor  bar 

Yields  any  fence  at  all ; 
And  comes  not  God  to  turn  the  war, 

The  place  must  surely  fall. 

Come  then,  Thou  great  Almighty  God 

Of  hosts,  for  our  defence. 
Whose  arm  in  former  ages  brought 

Our  sires  deliverance. 
Courage,  faint  heart — dismay,  farewell 

Let  doubt  and  terror  cease. 
Jehovah  stands  as  sentinel. 

And  I  may  sleep  in  peace. 


74. 


[  Two  water-drops  that  meet  and  mingle, 
\No  a7't  of  man  can  e'er  make  single  ; 

And  wedlock's  bond  'twixt  man  and  wife, 

If  twined  in  heaven,  e^idures  for  life. 

Matt.  xix.  6.  "What  therefore  God  hath  joined  together, 
let  not  man  put  asunder." 

THE  solemn  words  have  been  at  last  uttered,  "  Until 
death  shall  separate  you."  This  has  indeed  been  for 
long  the  language  of  our  hearts.  Now,  however,  that  it  has 
been  spoken  by  the  lips  of  the  minister,  God  hath  joined  us 
together. 

First  of  all,  then,  to  Thee,  O  God,  I  present  the  offering  of 
my  gratitude.     How  great  the  boon,  when  to  one  human  be- 


74*  Marriage.  527 

ing  Thou  givest  the  heart  of  another,  to  be  exclusively  his  own ! 
I  have  been  intimate  with  many  a  heart  on  this  earth,  but  then 
I  always  knew  that  others  shared  its  affections  along  with  me. 
Now,  however,  there  is  a  heart  which  I  can  claim  as  wholly 
mine,  and  that  of  all  hearts  the  one  I  love  the  best.  Thou 
givest  all  double,  when  Thou  givest  a  man  the  heart  with 
which  he  would  most  fondly  share  his  all.  Yes  ;  my  property, 
my  talents,  my  whole  existence,  are  all  bestowed  upon  me 
anew,  in  the  gift  which  I  this  day  receive  from  Thy  hand.  Oh 
forbid  that  that  gift,  dear  and  precious  though  it  be,  should 
hide  from  me  the  Giver  !  No,  Lord,  never  shall  I  forget  that 
it  was  from  Thy  hand  I  obtained  it !  I  have  to  thank  those  of 
my  fellow-men  who  intrusted  the  dear  one  to  my  care,  and 
allowed  her  to  become  the  companion  of  my  way.  I  will  thank 
herself  for  her  consent,  and  my  thanks  to  her  shall  consist  in 
the  most  faithful  love  and  service.  It  is  to  Thee,  however,  O 
Lord,  and  for  Thy  amen^  that  gratitude  is  properly  and  su- 
premely due. 

The  father's  smiles  his  joy  reveal, 
The  mother  fond,  the  match  to  seal, 

Unites  the  lovers'  hands. 
To  wish  them  joy,  with  many  a  jest, 
And  mirth  on  every  face  expressed. 

Arrive  the  smiling  bands. 

At  length  the  appointed  morn  is  come, 
And  friends  and  kinsmen  crowd  the  room  : 

The  priest  has  spoke  the  word. 
Yet  all  that  bridal  pomp  is  vain, 
And  parents'  smile,  and  priest's  amen. 

Without  Thy  blessing,  Lord. 

We  belong  to  Thee,  O  Lord,  before  we  belong  to  each  other, 
and  before  we  give  our  hearts  to  each  other  we  must  first  give 
them  to  Thee.  Indeed  the  very  reason  why  we  are  to  become 
each  other's  is,  that  each  may  help  the  other  to  become  more 
and  more  entirely  Thine. 

There  may  be  thousands  who,  on  such  a  day  as  this,  deem 
it  justifiable  to  indulge  only  visionary  dreams  of  joy  and  pleas- 


528  74-  Marriage. 

ure,  and  who,  in  a  kind  of  intoxication,  make  their  entrance 
into  a  state  involving  duties  undoubtedly  sweet,  but  which  are 
at  the  same  time  unspeakably  serious.  But  I  beseech  Thee, 
Lord,  vouchsafe  to  me  a  sober  mind;  and  place  before  my  eyes, 
in  all  its  magnitude,  the  importance  of  my  duties.  She  has  left 
father  and  mother  to  follow  her  husband;  what  sacrifices, 
then,  do  not  I  owe  to  one  who  has  thus  sacrificed  all  for  me  ? 
In  the  fullest  sense  of  the  word,  I  must  make  her  the  half  of 
myself.  Is  it  not  the  very  nature  of  love  to  recognise  a  second 
self  in  the  person  who  is  its  object?  And  if  we  do  really  find 
in  the  beloved  object  another  self,  should  we  not  be  willing  to 
toil  and  bear,  and  sacrifice  for  her  sake  as  much  as  for  our 
own  ?  Teach  me,  O  my  God,  to  love  in  this  fashion ;  that  so 
to  live  for  her,  and  to  suffer  for  her,  may  be  the  delight  of  my 
life.  Even  natural  afifection  can  make  this  an  easy  task,  but 
unless  sanctified  by  the  love  of  Thee,  natural  affection  will 
sooner  or  later  give  place  to  the  love  of  self.  It  is  so  much 
more  pleasing  to  our  nature  to  be  ministered  unto,  than  to 
minister  to  another ;  and  as  thine  own  Word  has  appointed  the 
man  to  be  the  head  of  the  wife,  we  are  greatly  too  apt  to  forget 
that  the  man  exists  for  the  wife's  sake  as  much  as  the  wife  for 
the  man's.  We  husbands  are  commanded  to  "  love  our  wives, 
even  as  Christ  also  loved  the  Church,  and  gave  Himself  for  it."  ^ 
Implant,  then,  O  Lord  Jesus,  and  root  in  my  heart,  that  tender 
and  deVDted  love  which  finds  its  happiness  in  ministering.  May 
the  attentions  I  pay  my  wife  acquaint  me  with  its  nature,  and 
the  married  state  prove  a  school  for  its  continual  practice. 

But  let  all  this  be  done  in  Thee,  and  before  Thy  face.  Yes, 
Lord;  forbid  that  I  should  ever  make  an  idol  of  even  the 
dearest  object  Thou  hast  given  me  upon  earth.  I  must  love 
her  not  alo7ig  with  Thee,  but  solely  and  entirely  in  Thee.  Well 
did  the  apostle  understand  the  dangers  of  the  married  state, 
when  he  says,  "He  that  is  married  careth  for  the  things  that 
are  of  the  world,  how  he  may  please  his  wife.''^  I  thank  Thee 
for  having  given  me  a  wife  who  would  herself  take  alarm  were 
1  Eph.  V,  25.  2  I  Cor.  vii.  33. 


74'  Marriage.  529 

she  to  see  me  setting  my  love  of  her  above  my  love  of  Thee. 
No  j  it  shall  be  a  settled  point  between  us,  that  as  we  both  were 
Thine  before  we  were  each  other's,  so  the  best  and  only  way 
of  pleasing  each  other  shall  be  by  seeking  to  please  Thee.     O 
heavenly  Love,  Thou  who  gavest  Thy  very  life  to  purchase  us 
for  a  peculiar  possession  to  Thyself,  daily  shall  we  admonish 
each  other  that  we  are  Thine,  that  neither  of  us  may  ever  forget 
the  solemn  truth.     Thou  hast  ordained  the  wife  to  be  a  help-  j 
mate  to  the  husband,  and  the  husband  a  helpmate  to  the  wife, —  i 
in  what  better  way  can  we  help  each  other  than  by  each  helping   1 
the  other  to  become  more  and  more  exclusively  Thine  own  ? 

Mutual  edification  shall  be  our  constant  aim.  No  friend  can 
edify  another  as  a  husband  the  wife,  and  a  wife  the  husband. 
Who  can  see  so  deeply  into  the  faults  and  frailties  of  the  heart 
as  they  into  each  other's?  Between  parties  so  connected  there 
can  be  no  concealment.  The  veil  must  be  dropped,  and  the 
inner  man  stand  fully  disclosed.  If,  then,  the  contract  between 
them  have  been  really  formed  with  a  view  to  mutual  help,  not 
so  much  in  acquiring  the  perishing  things  of  this  life,  but 
rather  in  striving  after  the  blessings  that  are  imperishable,  how 
great  the  good  they  may  do  each  to  the  other !  Oh  give  us 
sincerity  and  uprightness  of  heart,  that  there  may  be  no  con- 
cealment between  us,  how  painful  soever  the  disclosure  may 
prove,  of  what  we  know  must  be  displeasing  to  Thee.  We  shall 
make  it  our  business  to  exhort,  instruct,  and  reprove  each  other, 
until  Thy  holy  light  have  transformed  our  inmost  being,  and  assi- 
milated  it  to  Thine  image.  We  shall  strengthen  the  hands  that 
hang  down,  and  encourage  the  fainting  heart;  byword  and  look 
inquiring  from  hour  to  hour.  Is  all  right  between  thee  and  God  ? 

It  may  be  that  Thou  hast  decreed  for  us  the  honour  of  rearing 
heirs  for  Thy  kingdom.  But  how  shall  we  rear  others  for 
Thee,  unless  we  have  first  become  Thine  ourselves?  Whether 
so  great  a  happiness  shall  be  vouchsafed  to  us  or  not,  we  leave 
at  Thy  disposal.  "  Lo,  children  are  an  heritage  of  the  Lord  j 
and  the  fruit  of  the  womb  is  his  reward."  ^ 

1  Psalm  cxxvii.  3. 
2  L 


530  74-  Marriage, 

But  if,  in  Thy  grace,  Thou  have  destined  it  for  us,  then  do 
we  all  the  more  earnestly  beseech  Thee  first  to  make  ourselves 
Thy  true  children,  that  so  we  may  be  qualified  to  rear  others 
for  Thy  heavenly  kingdom.  "  Whether  we  live,  we  live  unto 
the  Lord  ;  and  whether  we  die,  we  die  unto  the  Lord  :  whether 
we  live,  therefore,  or  die,  we  are  the  Lord's."  ^  Resting  on 
that  text,  we  this  day  join  hands  ;  with  that  text  we  now  enter 
upon  our  way.  From  Thee  cometh  both  to  will  and  to  do ; 
make  Thy  strength  perfect  in  our  weakness. 

Look  down  upon  a  loving  pair, 

Who  bring  their  meek  and  earnest  prayer 

Into  Thy  presence,  Lord. 
One  fond  desire  we  have  and  true. 
To  serve  thee  still,  in  all  we  do. 

By  action  or  by  word. 

Yes,  from  this  hour,  so  dear  to  both. 
In  which  we  pledge  our  mutual  troth, 

By  hand  in  hand  compressed, 
Be  hand  with  hand  united  still, 
To  do  Thy  good  and  holy  will. 

Till  in  the  grave  we  rest. 

And  now,  before  the  word  we  speak 
That  knits  the  bond  man  must  not  break, 

We  fain  would  know  Thy  mind. 
Lord,  be  the  sweet  conviction  given 
To  both,  that  Thou  thyself,  in  heaven. 

The  hallowed  bond  hast  twined. 

Thy  Spirit  send  to  make  us  mild. 
Humble  and  chaste,  and  meek  as  child, 

In  love  conjoined  to  Thee. 
Give  to  affection's  warmest  glow. 
From  soul  or  sense,  howe'er  it  flow, 

Celestial  purity. 

And  should  it  be  our  lot  to  rear 
Young  plants  to  grace  Thy  garden  here, 

Or  fairer  bowers  above. 
May  children  in  their  parents  see 
Patterns  of  faithfulness  to  Thee, 

Integrity  and  love. 


1  Rom.  xiv.  8. 


7  5  •   The  Evening  of  L  ife.  5  3 1 

75. 

Wc^z  Cbmmg  of  3Lif0. 

What  means  this  knocking  at  my  gate  ? 

A  stranger  old  and  thin 
Lingers  without— as  it  grows  late, 

Should  I  not  call  him  in  ? 

Yes,  call  him  in  without  dismay, 

His  looks  are  like  thine  own  ; 
Who  knows  but  he  may  force  his  way. 
If  once  impatietit  growft  f 

And  call  I  will,  though  matt  and  maid 

Grow  pale,  and  hold  their  breath  : 
My  boding  heart  the  truth  hath  said ; 

It  is— it  zj— FRIEND  Death  ! 

ISA.  xxxviii.  I.  *'In  those  days  was  Hezekiah  sick  unto 
death.  And  Isaiah  the  prophet,  the  son  of  Amoz,  came 
unto  him,  and  said  unto  him.  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  Set 
thine  house  in  order :  for  thou  shalt  die,  and  not  Hve." 

GOOD  cause  has  he  for  gratitude  to  whom  the  Lord  sends 
such  a  messenger,  saying,  "  Set  thine  house  in  order, 
for  thou  shalt  die  \  "  and  this  is  the  lot  of  all,  excepting  those 
who  are  cut  off  in  the  midst  of  their  years.  For  let  a  man 
gradually  grow  old,  and  how  many  messengers,  one  after 
another,  arrive,  admonishing  him  to  set  his  house  in  order  ! 
Says  not  the  proverb, — 

' '  Age,  like  a  well-bred  man,  before 

He  enters  the  house,  knocks  at  the  gate. 
Knocks  at  the  window,  knocks  at  the  door, 
Cries  at  all  corners,  '  Hark,  I  wait ! ' " 

Alas  for  him  who  grows  old  without  growing  wise,  and  to 
whom  the  future  world  does  not  set  open  her  gates  when  he 


532  75-   ^-^^^  Evening  of  L  ife, 

is  excluded  by  the  present !  The  Lord  deals  so  graciously 
with  us  in  the  decline  of  life,  that  it  is  a  shame  to  turn  a  deaf 
ear  to  the  lessons  which  He  gives.  The  eye  becomes  dim, 
the  ear  dull,  the  tongue  falters,  the  feet  totter,  all  the  senses 
refuse  to  do  their  office,  and  from  every  side  resounds  the 
call,  "  Set  thine  house  in  order,  for  the  term  of  thy  pilgrimage 
is  at  hand."  The  playmates  of  youth,  the  fellow-labourers  of 
manhood,  die  away,  and  take  the  road  before  us.  Old  age  is 
like  some  quiet  chamber,  in  which,  disconnected  from  the  vis- 
ible world,  we  can  prepare  in  silence  for  the  world  that  is  unseen. 

There  is  nothing  more  forbidding  than  to  see  an  aged  person 
who  refuses  to  give  up  a  world  which  yet  is  giving  up  him. 
Even  the  unsanctified  mind  feels  this  conduct  to  be  most 
unnatural ;  although,  doubtless,  if  a  man  have  his  treasure  in 
this  world  only,  his  heart  will  also  be  where  his  treasure  is. 
How  then,  O  Lord,  shall  I  express  my  grateful  sense  of  Thy 
mercy,  in  having  given  me  the  assurance  of  an  inheritance  in 
heaven,  and  redeemed  me  from  the  bondage  of  this  perishing 
world?  Oh  how  wretched  —  how  unspeakably  wretched — 
should  I  be,  if  at  this  time  of  life  I  had  still  my  God  to  seek  ! 
It  is  hard  for  the  old  to  undergo  conversion  and  reform  their 
ways.  Even  old  age,  perhaps,  may  have  strength  enough  left 
to  deplore  the  vain  courses  of  the  past ;  but  to  enter  upon  a 
new  path,  and  steadily  and  resolutely  pursue  it,  must  be  diffi- 
cult for  the  old  indeed.  Justly,  therefore,  does  the  preacher 
say  :  "  Remember  now  thy  Creator  in  the  days  of  thy  youth, 
while  the  evil  days  come  not,  nor  the  years  draw  nigh,  when 
thou  shalt  say,  I  have  no  pleasure  in  them.  ...  Or  ever 
the  silver  cord  be  loosed,  or  the  golden  bowl  be  broken,  or 
the  pitcher  be  broken  at  the  fountain,  or  the  wheel  broken  at 
the  cistern.  Then  shall  the  dust  return  to  the  earth  as  it  was  ; 
and  the  spirit  shall  return  unto  God  who  gave  it."  ^ 

Even  this,  however,  is  not  all ;  for  how  impoverished  should 
I  feel  if  left  in  my  silent,  solitary  hours,  destitute  of  all  my 
treasured  recollections  of  God's  gracious  dealings  towards  me 
1  Eccles.  xii.  1-7. 


7  5  •   The  Even  ing  of  L  ife.  533 

during  the  long  pilgrimage  of  life  !  If  we  can  look  behind  us 
upon  a  vast  extent  of  way,  whose  many  thorny  places  and 
mountains  and  precipices  we  have  safely  traversed  with  a  hold 
of  the  divine  hand,  we  are  then  enabled,  with  cheerfulness  and 
confidence,  to  look  forward  also  to  the  hour  when  we  shall 
have  to  cross  the  last  deep  gulf.  A  thousand  trials  have  made 
us  familiar  with  the  hand,  which  will  then  also  uphold  us,  and 
thus  we  muster  courage  for  the  final  onset. 

"  O  death  !  how  bitter  is  the  remembrance  of  thee  to  a  man 
that  liveth  at  rest  in  his  possessions,  to  him  that  hath  nothing 
to  vex  him,  and  that  hath  prosperity  in  all  things ;  yea,  unto 
him  that  is  yet  able  to  receive  meat,"  saith  the  son  of  Sirach.^ 
Yes  j  and  by  what  expedients  do  such  men  try  to  overcome 
thy  bitterness  ?  Oh  !  when  1  see  them,  like  some  beaten  foe 
who  retreats  from  fence  to  fence  behind  the  last  intrenchment 
— driven  now  from  the  joyous  revelry  of  youth,  and  anon  from 
manhood's  keen  enjoyments,  until  they  are  reduced  at  last  to 
solicit  a  faint  gratification  from  stimulating,  perhaps,  a  languid 
palate — oh  !  when  I  see  them,  like  the  worm  which  cleaves 
to  the  withered  leaf,  feeding  on  the  wan  and  shadowy  remem- 
brance of  days  never  to  return,  and  trying  whether  it  may  do 
them  any  good  to  forget  that  which  they  now  no  more  can 
change, — how  do  I  then,  with  my  whole  soul,  exclaim.  Thanks 
be  to  Jesus  Christ,  my  Lord,  who  hath  delivered  me  from  the 
bondage  of  this  corruptible  world  !     The  poet  says, — 

"Taught  by  some  impulse  from  on  high,  men's  minds 
Suspect  the  coming  danger,  as  we  see 
The  waters  heave  before  the  approaching  storni." 

But  of  you  it  may  be  said, — • 

"  They  hear  the  wild  winds  lash  the  bursting  sails  ; 
At  every  joint  the  shivering  vessel  creaks  ; 
But  strike  they  will  not,  and  go  blindly  down." 

How  sweet,  O  death,  is  the  thought  of  thee  to  the  man  who 
could  never  find  a  satisfying  portion  here  below,  but  who,  even 
1  Ecclus.  xli.  I,  2. 


534  75-   The  Evening  of  Life.     . 

amidst  this  fleeting  life,  still  lived  and  leaned  upon  the  pro- 
mises of  that  which  is  everlasting  !  I  do  not  quail  before  thy 
scythe — it  can  cut  off  nothing  which  I  am  not  willing  to  leave 
behind,  that  the  wings  of  my  spirit  may  bear  me  unencumbered 
away.  Old  age  !  for  him  who  has  a  Saviour,  thy  rosy  evening 
changes  so  insensibly  into  dawn,  that  there  is  scarce  a  night 
between  ! 

Yes,  I  will  set  my  house  in  order ;  the  task  will  not  be  diffi- 
cult. My  accounts  are  all  settled.  The  best  of  my  property 
I  take  along  with  me.  I  leave  my  children  to  the  great  Father 
of  the  fatherless,  to  whom  belong  heaven  and  earth.  My  body 
I  bequeath  to  the  earth,  and  my  soul  to  the  Lord  :  He  has  sued 
for  it  longer  than  my  life,  and  He  bought  it  with  His  blood. 
Thus  I  lay  every  weight  aside,  and  am  ready  for  the  journey. 
When  the  traveller  has  paid  his  debts  in  the  city  of  a  foreign 
land,  how  does  he  exult  to  pass  the  gate  as  he  bends  his  steps 
homeward  !  I  have  no  more  a  single  creditor  upon  earth,  and 
I  know  I  shall  find  none  in  the  place  to  which  I  go.  Oh  !  it 
is  a  blessed  thing  to  die,  when  we  can  say  with  Hezekiah  : 
"  Behold,  for  peace  I  had  great  bitterness  ;  but  Thou  hast  in 
love  to  my  soul  delivered  it  from  the  pit  of  corruption :  for 
Thou  hast  cast  all  my  sins  behind  Thy  back."  ^  Yes,  old  men, 
the  Blessed  thistle  is  an  herb  of  precious  use.^  It  soothes  the 
aching  of  the  heart.  But  beside  the  cross  of  Jesus  there  grows 
a  plant  that  is  fairer  still,  and  has  a  juster  claim  to  be  called 
Heart' s-ease.  Nothing  like  it  alleviates  the  bitter  pangs  that 
precede  the  hour  of  dissolution. 

Life  !  I  have  enjoyed  thee.  Every  draught  from  thy  foun- 
tain was  not  bitter  to  my  taste ;  nor  is  all  vain  beneath  the 
sun,  provided  we  enjoy  not  the  creature  only,  but  in  the  crea- 
ture the  Creator.  That  which  made  thee  sweet,  however,  was 
the  loving-kindness  of  my  God,  conveyed  to  me  through  all 
created  things,  as  through  so  many  pipes  and  channels,  and 

1  Isa.  xxxviii.  17. 

2  The  carduiis  benedictus,  once  so  approved  as  a  simple,  especially  in  affec- 
tions of  the  heart. 


7  5 .   The  Evening  of  L  ife.  535 

this  loving-kindness  of  my  God  I  shall  take  along  with  me. 
The  earthen  pipes  through  which  it  used  to  flow  may  indeed 
be  shivered,  but  He  who  made  them  can  be  at  no  loss  to  find 
others  to  supply  their  place.  Extinct,  for  ever  extinct,  is  all 
the  pleasantness  of  life,  so  far  as  the  creature  only  was  its 
source.  But  in  so  far  as  in  all  our  enjoyments  it  flowed  from 
the  thought  of  that  supreme  hand  by  which  these  were  con- 
ferred, the  pleasantness  of  life  exists,  and  will  abide  with  us 
for  ever.  And  in  this  way  how  may  every  day  become  a  treas- 
ury, and  the  very  poorest  life  exuberantly  rich  !  No,  I  cannot 
look  back  upon  mine  as  if  it  were  a  mere  vanity.  Even  now, 
when  from  my  silent  chamber  I  survey  it  all,  my  heart  fills 
with  an  exultation  which  it  cannot  contain.  I  feel  that  I  need 
a  new  heart  and  a  new  tongue  to  utter  all  that  my  God  has 
done  for  me,  and  worthily  to  sing  His  praise.  What  sort  of 
hearts  can  they  have  who  find  it  difficult  to  understand  how 
praising  God  for  the  mercies  He  has  bestowed  can  constitute 
a  main  part  of  the  felicity  of  the  upper  world  ?  Among  the 
gifts  of  the  Spirit  of  grace,  this  itself  is  one,  that  the  longer  we 
frequent  the  school  of  Jesus,  so  much  the  richer  source  of 
delight  does  thanksgiving  become.  I  have  always  the  impres- 
sion that  here  upon  earth  my  gratitude  has  never  yet  found 
adequate  expression.  Words  cannot  utter,  tears  cannot  ex- 
haust, and  even  the  deep  sigh,  which  escapes  like  a  full  spir- 
itual tear  from  my  heart,  cannot  reveal  it  all.  There  will, 
however,  be  new  tongues  and  new  languages.  Paul  has  told 
us  of  the  tongues  of  angels ;  and  on  the  day  of  Pentecost  the 
apostles  received  tongues  of  fire,  with  which  to  declare  the 
wonderful  works  of  God.  Oh,  when  the  everlasting  Pentecost 
arrives,  surely,  with  the  spiritual  baptism  which  it  brings,  it 
will  also  bring  new  tongues,  with  which  to  praise  the  mighty 
works  of  God,  in  'strains  far  loftier  than  here  on  earth  our  fal- 
tering lips  could  ever  reach. 

Zion,  thou  city  of  my  God,  in  spirit  I  am  already  enrolled 
among  thy  inhabitants  ;  and  although  for  a  little  I  must  con- 
tinue to  sojourn  in  the  flesh,  my  days  shall  be  spent  in  prepa- 


5  3  6  75-   ^^^^  Evening  of  L  ife. 

ration,  that  when  at  last  I  enter  thy  glorious  streets,  I  may  not 
appear  as  a  stranger  there.  Whatever  of  thine,  O  earth,  I 
cannot  take  along  with  me,  let  me  forget — forget  for  ever.  It 
is  not  worth  remembering.  But  yet,  while  my  respite  lasts, 
it  shall  be  my  daily  study  to  carry  away  from  thee  as  much  as 
I  can,  that  it  may  be  still  a  source  of  enjoyment  to  me  when 
admitted  into  the  everlasting  tabernacles.  And  inasmuch  as 
the  very  best  of  thy  gifts  need  not  be  left  behind,  but  may 
accompany  me  whither  I  go,  why  should  I  still  cling  to  thee 
when  1  hear  the  cry,  "Behold,  the  bridegroom  cometh  !"  At 
every  season  of  life  we  should  be  as  servants  who  wait  for  their 
master,  with  loins  girded  and  lamps  burning.  Oh,  how  much 
the  more  proper  is  this  for  the  man  who  has  death  already 
standing  at  his  door  ! 

Come,  bridegroom,  haste  ! — Why  dost  thou  stay  ? 

The  setting  sun  now  dims  his  ray  ; 

The  shadows  yon  far  mountains  cast 

Along  the  plain  are  lengthening  fast ; 

And  all  the  fond  companions,  reared 

About  my  side,  have  disappeared. 

Yes,  all  who  once  were  mine  are  gone — 
I'm  left  in  this  bleak  world  alone. 
And  in  hfe's  evening,  cold  and  late, 
It  is  a  weary  task  to  wait  : 
O  bridegroom,  mend  thy  pace  and  come, 
Open  the  door  and  take  me  home  ! 

Sun  of  my  hfe,  thou  sett'st  to  rise. 
And  run  thy  course  in  brighter  skies. 
Oh,  then,  how  sweet  to  fall  asleep, 
And  think  that  morn  ere  long  will  peep, 
With  rosy  smile,  the  lattice  through, 
And  wake  us  into  life  anew  ! 

Within  my  breast  fresh  warmth  I  feel  ; 
Around  me  all  is  bleak  and  chill. 
Within,  hope  hails  a  world  more  bright ; 
Without,  there's  nothing  gives  delight. 
Here,  friends  have  fled  and  gone  to  rest  ; 
There,  dwells  the  truest  friend  and  best. 


76.   TJie  Death  of  the  Christian.  537 

Hence  with  so  eager  gaze  I  wait 
Thine  advent  bright  to  ope  the  gate. 
Ah,  bridegroom,  if  thy  tarrying  mean 
My  heart  from  other  loves  to  wean, 
Even  now  this  blessed  end  is  won — 
Thou  art  my  love,  and  thou  alone. 


76. 

3rf)£  i3eat]&  of  fte  Cfjristian. 

V  If  hi  thy  cool  and  silent  bed, 

O  grave  /  the  ashes  of  the  dead 

So  sweetly  rest. 
How  passing  sweet  the  rest  must  be 
Which  waits  the  soul  from  flesh  set  free, 

Among  the  blest ! 

Rev.  xiv.  13.  "  Blessed  are  the  dead  which  die  in  the  Lord 
from  thenceforth :  Yea,  saith  the  Spirit,  that  they  may 
rest  from  their  labours;  and  their  works  do  follow  them." 

THERE  lies  the  garment  which  the  pilgrim  wore,  in  sun- 
shine and  in  rain,  from  the  beginning  to  the  end  of  his 
earthly  journey.  What  strange  thoughts  pass  through  the 
mind  as  we  stand  beside  the  dead — thoughts  that  never  else- 
where occur  !  How  much  I  would  still  have  to  say  to  him — 
how  much  to  ask  him  about — how  many  requests  to  make  ! 
But  his  ear*hears  not — his  mouth  speaks  no  more.  Methinks 
we  would  act  more  kindly  towards  our  fellow-men,  could  we 
realise  the  feelings  with  which  we  see  them  dressed  in  their 
winding-sheets,  and  stretched  upon  a  bier. 

Departed  spirit,  from  the  purifying  furnace  of  tribulation 
thou  hast  passed  into  the  presence  of  God  !  At  last  the  cover- 
ing drops  from  thine  eye,  and  faith  is  converted  into  vision. 


538  'J 6.   The  Death  of  the  Christian. 

How  is  it  with  thee  now  ?  Oh  how  shalt  thou  feel  when  from 
thy  Master's  Hps,  whose  hand  upheld  thy  goings,  though  His 
face  thou  couldst  not  see,  thou  shalt  hear  the  words,  "  Good 
and  faithful  servant,  enter  into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord,"  and  when 
thy  Lord's  joy  is  reflected  in  thine  own  bosom  ?  The  fruit 
has  fallen  in  its  season — it  was  fully  ripe.  Yes,  departed 
saint,  it  has  been  thy  appointed  lot  to  ripen  on  the  earth. 
Largely  didst  thou  taste  the  pleasantness,  and  largely,  too,  the 
labour  and  sorrow  of  human  life.  But  thou  didst  not  taste 
them  in  vain.  The  work  of  thy  hands  without  was  also  a 
work  within  ;  and  even  thy  secular  employments  were  a  build- 
ing up  of  thy  soul  for  a  temple  to  God.  When  on  the  evening 
of  some  sultry  day  the  cart  reaches  the  homestead,  loaded  with 
the  golden  sheaves,  the  members  of  the  household  all  rejoice. 
Even  so,  O  happy  spirit,  do  I  now  behold  thee  entering  thy 
heavenly  Father's  house  amidst  the  exultations  of  the  celestial 
host.  Surely  when  there  is  joy  so  great  in  heaven,  lamentation 
ought  to  be  hushed  on  earth.  Ah  !  if  from  thy  lofty  dwelling- 
place  thy  voice  could  reach  us  here  below,  what  else  wouldst 
thou  say  but — weep  nofi  We  must  then  wipe  away  our 
tears. 

Even  while  sojourning  on  earth,  thou  didst  not  belong  to 
us ;  thou  wert  still  thy  Master's.  And  now  that  He  has  taken 
thee  away,  what  remains  but  to  thank  Him  for  having  lent 
thee  to  us  so  long,  and — to  hold  fast  the  good  which,  through 
thee,  as  the  means,  we  have  received  ?  Blessed  spirit,  thou 
shalt  still  abide  among  us.  Thou  hast  imparted  to  us  so 
largely  of  what  was  best  about  thee,  that,  though  now  departed, 
we  in  a  manner  possess  thee  still.  With  the  vividness  almost 
of  personal  apparition,  thou  seemest  to  stand  in  the  midst  of 
us,  so  that  we  can  take  counsel  of  thee,  and  receive  instruction 
from  thy  lips,  after  these  have  been  closed  by  death.  Thy 
business  on  earth  was  still  to  watch  over  and  pray  for  us ; 
and  so  faithfully,  so  fervently  was  it  done,  that  the  blessing  of 
thine  intercession  is  not  yet  exhausted,  but,  like  a  dew  of  God, 
will  drop  down  upon  us  as  long  as  we  live.     Nor  shall  even 


'J 6,  The  Death  of  the  Christian.  5  39 

the  vision  of  the  light  eternal  efface  us  from  thy  memory,  for 
the  light  eternal  is  the  light  of  love. 

Fought  out  is  thy  fight  of  faith.  We  have  learned  from  thee 
that  it  is  possible  for  a  man  to  endure  as  seeing  Him  that  is 
invisible ;  and  with  that  lesson  on  our  minds,  we  need  not 
sorrow  as  those  who  have  no  hope.  They  have  laid  thee  in 
the  grave ;  but  that  which  they  interred  was  not  thyself^  it  was 
thy  garment  only;  and  with  it  have  they  buried  the  toils 
endured  and  the  tears  shed  by  thee  all  the  time  thou  hadst  it 
on.  Yea,  and  thy  very  garment  shall  one  day  be  given  thee 
back,  renewed  by  the  hand  of  Omnipotence,  and  cleansed 
from  every  stain  of  weeping.  For  thyself.  He  who  said, 
*'  Where  I  am,  there  also  shall  my  servant  be,"  has  taken  thee 
home  j  and  oh  it  is  good  to  be  there !  Why  should  we  mourn? 
True,  thou  art  no  longer  with  us ;  but  He  who  was  able  to  give 
us  a  father,  a  husband,  a  friend  like  thee,  must  himself  be  a 
greater  Father,  Husband,  and  Friend.  Oh,  when  death  re- 
moves from  the  midst  of  us  one  who,  by  all  he  said  and  did, 
was  ever  pointing  to  Him  who  is  invisible,  how  do  the  hearts 
of  survivors  about  his  grave  cling  close  and  closer  each  to 
the  other,  and  all  to  that  unseen  God  !  Such  a  soul  is  like 
a  ray  emitted  from  the  eternal  sun.  It  returns  to  its  source 
again  ;  and  ever  after,  our  eye  can  fix  upon  the  sun  a  more  un- 
averted  gaze.  We  can  no  longer  lean  upon  thy  bosom ;  but 
we  shall  lean  all  the  more  upon  the  bosom  of  our  God. 

It  is  also  a  great  blessing  connected  with  the  death  of  Chris- 
tian friends,  that  even  after  their  decease  the  love  we  bear 
them  still  continues  to  exercise  over  us  a  salutary  influence. 
Oh  to  meet  with  thee  again  !  is  the  voice  of  our  longing  hearts. 
We  know,  however,  that  there  is  no  way  by  which  we  can 
reach  the  place  where  thou  dwellest  save  that  which  led  thee 
thither.  Why  are  men  so  apt,  when  they  think .  of  meeting 
again,  to  figure  it  only  as  the  inevitable  sequel  of  death,  forget- 
ting that  beyond  the  grave  there  are  several  difierent  roads  ? 
Yes,  glorified  saint !  we  shall  see  thee,  we  shall  meet  with  thee 
again,  for  we  shall  strive  to  follow  thee  on  the  way  thou  didst  go. 


540  7^-   The  Death  of  the  Christian. 

Oh,  when  from  the  last  of  the  heights  to  be  surmounted  in 
the  path  of  Ufe  we  turn  and  survey  the  conflicts  that  lie  behind, 
how  insignificant  they  appear,  and  how  blessed  must  that  man 
be  whose  heart  then  bears  him  testimony  that  he  did  not 
shrink  from  them  !  Standing,  as  I  now  do,  beside  the  remains 
of  one  of  God's  soldiers  who  has  thus  victoriously  accom- 
plished his  warfare,  I  say  to  myself.  All  is  over  now,  hard  and 
insurmountable  though  for  the  time  it  appeared.  How  deep 
the  stillness  about  the  corpse  !  Yes^  cahn  peace  at  the  hour  of 
death  is  so  great  a  good  as  to  be  cheaply  purchased  by  braving  the 
struggles  of  a  long  life. 

"The  memory  of  the  just  is  blessed."  ^  Yes,  thou  sainted 
warrior  of  God  !  the  remembrance  of  the  conflicts  of  thy  Hfe 
and  of  thy  peace  in  death  shall  abide  as  a  blessing  among  us, 
perpetually  discoursing  how  the  sufferings  of  time  are  not  to 
be  compared  with  the  exceeding  glory  that  shall  be  revealed. 
Thy  funeral  knell  shall  continue  ringing  in  our  inward  ears  till 
the  last  hour  of  our  lives,  admonishing  us  to  live  like  thee,  and 
like  thee  to  die,  that  so  we  may  one  day  enter  thy  everlast- 
ing rest.  O  Christ !  Thou  who  hast  abolished  death,  and 
brought  life  and  immortality  to  light,  unite  once  more,  in  Thy 
eternal  kingdom,  those  whom  Thou  didst  here  bring  together 
in  Thy  love.     Amen. 

Thine  was  a  weary  dream  until 

The  faltering  pulse  at  last  stood  still ; 

And  oft  thy  quivering  lip  and  eye 

Bespake  an  inward  agony  ; 

But  never  yet  by  word  revealed 

The  woe,  from  all  but  God  concealed. 

Oft,  too,  some  vision  bright  would  seem 
A  while  to  soothe  thee  in  thy  dream. 
Yet  soon,  too  soon,  alas  !  it  fled  ; 
And,  silent  and  unnoticed. 
The  night  of  grief,  the  mists  of  pain, 
Stole  o'er  thy  troubled  soul  again. 

^  Prov.  X.  7. 


^6.   The  Death  of  the  Christian,  54 1 

But  death  has  come,  the  trance  to  break, 
And  set  thee  free,  and  bid  thee  wake. 
Oh,  when  at  last  the  dewy  blaze 
Of  glory  gushed  upon  thy  gaze. 
As  oped  to  vision's  light  thine  eye. 
Can  language  tell  thine  ecstasy  ? 

Tell  how  transported  thou  didst  sink, 
The  flood  of  love  and  bliss  to  drink ; 
Tell  how  the  joy  that  through  thee  streamed, 
First  from  thy  kindling  eyeballs  gleamed, 
Then,  quick  as  thought,  thy  bosom  filled, 
And  every  nerve  with  rapture  thrilled  ? 

Too  bright  for  truth  the  glory  seems. 
' '  What  if  again  my  spirit  dreams  ?  " 
I  hear  thee  ask,  in  deep  amaze. 
Till  every  pulse  within  thee  says. 
Exult,  O  happy  soul,  and  sing— 
This  is  the  great  awakening  ! 

Yes,  now  at  last  thou  art  awake, 
No  sleep  for  evermore  shall  break 
Thy  work,  thy  rest :  oh  happy  they, 
Escaped,  like  thee,  from  time's  dark  day. 
To  bathe  in  heaven's  unclouded  light, 
And  love  and  glory  infinite  ! 

Vain  earth,  with  all  thy  toils,  depart ! 
Thou  hast  no  portion  for  the  heart. 
Thou  didst  us  rear,  and  for  that  boon 
We  may  not  quite  forget  thee  soon. 
But  ah  !  our  home-sick  spirits  pine 
For  fairer,  happier  scenes  than  thine. 


THE     END. 


PKINTEO  BY  WILLIAM  BLACKWOOD   AND  SONS,    EDINBURGH. 


^C> 


Date  Due 

My  ft    "31 

. 

■**' 

>»'-^- 

f' 

